


Let the World Disappear

by Lyssala



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Best Friends, Canon Compliant, Childhood Friends, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Memories, One Shot Collection, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-01-21 09:16:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 37,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12454272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyssala/pseuds/Lyssala
Summary: A one shot collection for Terra and Aqua, exploring their relationship through memories of their past after the events of the series are over and they begin to restart their lives.





	1. Time

**Author's Note:**

> Pairing: Terra/Aqua (and lots of brot3)  
> Words: 5169  
> Rating: K
> 
>  
> 
> I decided on keeping the set but changing it just a little, I'll do a set for random one shots later should I decide to (I have some super cute ideas for modern aus though and I'm a super sucker for them so I probably will lmao). This will be set firmly in post series but each chapter will start with a memory from pre-canon or canon that relates to the chapter at hand. 
> 
> I usually like to dabble in new fandoms to get the grip of it before I publish anything but I felt as though others might be in the same boat as me. The I’m so desperate for new material I’m just gonna damn well do it myself lmao So this was a prompt suggested by a friend for Ven plotting to get Terra and Aqua some time together. I’ve written a few little one shots from their perspectives (which are unpublished so far haha) so it was interesting to take a stab at it from Ven’s perspective. It was also nice to explore their interactions in everyday situations since really we’ve only seen them interact under stress or distress. So lots of headcanons went into this to build off how I saw the characters. It was fun! Also please forgive me if I get anything story wise wrong. I tried to remember/research as best I could but man, there’s so much to this series lmao

_Ven didn’t understand. Okay, he got the exams were coming up and he knew a lot of weight was riding on that for both Terra and Aqua, that they were probably under a lot of stress. At the same time though he didn’t understand why they were flat out avoiding each other. It wasn’t a competition. It’s not like one would pass and the other wouldn’t. Yet for the past few weeks Terra and Aqua who were usually inseparable where barely in the same room as each other unless they had to be._

_Ven didn’t like it at all and not just because it meant he was left alone, sitting on the couch, with his chin in his hands staring at absolutely nothing. Yeah, it was boring, but he felt like his best friends were fighting and he didn’t like that. Sure, Terra and Aqua bickered but they never stayed mad and really they weren’t even mad that Ven could tell. They were just…distant. They were like the best friends Ven ever knew, they weren’t supposed to act like this. It was weird honestly._

_That was when he knew he had to do something. It was close to midnight when he left the living room, knowing full well if he was caught he’d be sent right back to bed. He was careful sneaking into the kitchen and carrying out all the snack foods he could fit in his arms (chocolate chip cookies for Aqua, chips for Terra, and the rest of the cake for himself…or you know if the others wanted any too). He laid out all the food on the small table in front of the couch and set out to drag his friends in so they could spent some stress free time together. If they could just relax maybe things would go back to being normal._

_Aqua was on the training grounds, only a few lanterns and the moon shining down on her as she moved gracefully for through her routine. She was like the moonlight, just a flash of silver and blue. It was so different watching her than watching Terra; he was grounded, firm, and powerful but Aqua almost danced through her moves, always graceful and never missing her mark._

_Ven waited until she paused before he called out to her. “Aqua!”_

_She quickly turned her head to him, a frown on her lips. She only made her keyblade disappear when he waved at her. “Ven?” she asked as she walked closer to him. “What are you doing out here? Is something wrong?” Aqua looked concerned, like she was about to reach for his forehead._

_Ven only then realized he was standing outside at near midnight in his pajamas. “Oh! Oh, yeah everything is totally fine.”_

_She looked like she was waiting for another explanation._

_“Um, totally fine, but would you mind coming with me? Back inside?”_

_“Ven…” Aqua glanced back at the training ground before looking to him. “I…”_

_“Please? I have something for you.”_

_That seemed to do it. She gave him that smile she had whenever she caved. She reached up to brush some of his hair from his face. “Okay, whatever you’d like.”_

_Ven grinned and grabbed her hand leading her back to the castle and back into the room where all the snacks still laid out on the table. “Ta-da,” he said. “I thought you might be hungry.”_

_“Oh, Ven,” she chuckled; even if she wasn’t hungry at all she was still humoring him. “You’re too sweet.”_

_“Okay, sit down, I’ll be right back.” Before she had a chance to object he was out the door._

_If Aqua was in the training grounds then Terra must be in the library. Or already asleep in his room, or asleep in the library. It was one of them._

_Thankfully for Ven, since waking up Terra was a nightmare he could sleep through anything, he was sitting at one of the tables at the center of the library with one lantern guiding his reading. The last thing Ven wanted to do was scare the older boy, so Ven stood in the doorway, door open behind him. Terra looked like he was reading intently but his eyes didn’t look focused. It looked more like he was zoned out, thinking about anything but what he was doing._

_“Terra?” he said as quietly as he could._

_Terra glanced up but he didn’t seem too surprised; he must’ve heard Ven coming. “Yeah, buddy, what’s up?”_

_“Will you come downstairs with me?”_

_Terra gave Ven a look similar to Aqua though Terra scrunched his forehead much more than she did. “Is something wrong?”_

_“No, just thought you’d need a break.”_

_Terra hesitated but Ven gave his biggest grin and the brunette was already closing his book. “Alright. My eyes were starting to blur lines anyways.”_

_Ven didn’t wait; he already started to head back down the stairs and hallways, though he kept track of Terra’s footsteps knowing he was still following._

_When Ven walked back into the living room, Aqua was sitting on the couch though she didn’t touch any of the food. She looked up when he walked in and if she was surprised to see Terra come in the room she didn’t show it at all._

_“There,” Ven said, plopping down on the ground in front of the table while Terra sat at the other end of the couch. “Now we’re all together.”_

_He didn’t have to read their minds to see the guilt in Terra and Aqua’s eyes. They glanced briefly at each other before looking off in other directions._

_“It’s okay, I know you’re busy,” Ven said, trying to imply best that he wasn’t upset with how they treated him but how they were treating each other. “I just thought you guys might need a break. Together.” Okay, maybe he hadn’t mastered subtlety yet._

_Aqua opened her mouth to say something but Terra leaned forward, clapping his hands together. “Well, thanks, Ven, that was kind of you.” He gestured to the table. “Let me guess, cookies are for Aqua, you grabbed my favorite chips, but the cake?”_

_“Oh, you know,” Ven shrugged, tracing his finger over the cover of the cake. “For…for us all.”_

_Terra laughed lightly. “Have at it.”_

_“You’ll never sleep if you eat that whole thing,” Aqua said, always the voice of reason._

_“Let him enjoy it. He can just fake sick in the morning and sleep in.”_

_“That’s what you used to do,” Aqua’s voice was a little stern but there was a smile pulling at her lips. “Whenever you snuck too many snacks from the kitchen in the middle of the night.”_

_“And it worked didn’t it?”_

_“Until Master caught on and made you train anyways.”_

_It was working. This was so much better. Ven went to uncover the cake when he quickly realized he forgot drinks. “Oh! I’ll be right back!”_

_Neither of them bothered to stop him as he ran out, heading back to the kitchen to grab cups and the nearest drink he could grab. Well, the second one; the first one was a sweet soda he knew Terra didn’t like. Juggling his newest addition to their small feast, he hurried back into the living room._

_“Okay, now we have…” Ven trailed off the moment he walked in front of the couch._

_Terra was sitting on his end of the couch, his head leaning back against the pillow and long legs sprawled out in front of him. Aqua was curled up on the cushions, the top of her head touching his leg. When Ven first came here, plagued with his own nightmares he snuck into their rooms enough times in the middle of the night to know sleeping near each other brought them some form of comfort. Maybe that’s what they needed right now._

_With a smile, he placed down some of the cups, and headed back up to his room (but not without grabbing the cake first)._

* * *

Ven knew everything had changed. The world was a very different place than it was before, though that wasn’t all a bad thing. He was back home; well, what was left of his home. It wasn’t exactly the bright world he remembered but Aqua and Terra were with him. They were all alive and they were home together.

It was a little strange knowing over ten years passed. Even now, as he sat at the dining room table, watching Terra cut up vegetables to cook for dinner, Aqua doing some of the dishes behind him, it was like nothing changed. None of them even aged a day while they were all apart; not physically at least.

Ven didn’t really remember his time…away so it was hard to say how it impacted him. Terra said he didn’t remember much either but Ven had a feeling that was a lie to spare their feelings. He saw the tentative glances, the uncertainty in Terra’s step, how his smile didn’t always reach his eyes, and how careful he was not to be too close to either of them. Also, he was terrible at lying.

Aqua on the other hand was an incredibly good liar. Ven never really knew when she was being honest with him or when she was just trying to make him feel better. He supposed it was because she was so sincere about everything even when she lied a little, she still only had their best interests at heart. She usually didn’t lie too often though. She told them what she remembered of her time in the Realm of Darkness; if anything she simply left the things out she didn’t wanna share which he understood. Even if things were upsetting her, she always put on a smile and did whatever it was she needed to do to get the job done in a way only she could do.

But Ven knew she wasn’t sleeping well, if it all. Aqua had these dark circles lingering under her eyes for weeks now, thinner than he remembered her being, and even though she tried to hide it her physical strength was weaker. Not by a lot, but enough for him to notice and if he noticed then Terra definitely noticed; which probably made him feel worse, like it was his fault. Even though by now he had been told a million times it wasn’t. Ven knew it didn’t matter what people said, sometimes it was only what you could believe. But it would only make Terra more cautious and more distant, which Aqua would then notice and make herself worry more but not be able to tell him for fear of making it worse.

It was a never ending circle with them sometimes; that at least didn’t seem to change. If anything, they still knew how to dance around each other just right; except it was almost worse now. When they were younger one of them would break, they’d fight, one would make the other laugh, and they’d be fine again until next time. Now they were almost even too afraid to fight with each other, like if they said the wrong thing the other would just vanish. Ven could understand the feeling after all they all went through, but at the same time he sometimes wished just to hear Terra’s annoyed outburst and see Aqua get that stern look on her face. Then at least things would seem more normal.

Ven sighed and looked down at the book he had opened on the table. He was pretty sure he read the last line about five times already. 

He supposed for himself, the first real shock of it was when they did finally get to go home. Their world looked like it aged for ten long years with no one to take care of it. What used to be a clean and beautiful land was overgrown with weeds, rubble littering all areas; it was dried and worn out. At least the castle reverted back to what it used to, the sun shining high in the sky again, but even then it lacked the brightness it used to hold. They all set to work to get it looking back like the place they used to live, for people to come visit or even stay, train, whatever they’d like. It was hard work every day but they were together, all three of them were together again.

Ven wasn’t unhappy, he really wasn’t. The world was different, sure, but it was better now. There was no immediate lingering threat anymore. They were safe to lead the lives they always wanted but things were different now. Their home was a little emptier, and little quieter. It wasn’t just the presence of their Master or the people who used to visit either.

Ven looked up from his book that he had now given up reading to look at his friends still lingering in the kitchen. They weren’t paying too much attention to him or each other, Terra choosing to focus on whatever he cutting up now and Aqua humming lightly to herself as she slowly cleaned a pan from last night’s dinner. Despite the fact Ven saw the tension that lay between them ever since they returned, times like this it was easy to watch them fall into an easy rhythm of working around each other. Terra would look up to see where the bowl he needed was and she was already handing to him, or he’d hold out a knife he didn’t need any more and her slightly soapy hand would be there to take it from him. They were partners for so long now that even doing the smallest tasks together was usually effortless.

A smile pulled at Ven’s lips as he watched a cup covered in water and soap slip out of Aqua’s careful grip only to have Terra catch it before it fell to the ground. He passed it back to her without a word, though even Ven could see the teasing glint in Terra’s eyes like he wanted to comment about his reflexes being better than hers. It didn’t need the words apparently cause she reached up to hit her hand against his shoulder, though not without trying to hide her own amused smile, to push him back over to the counter. It left a wet mark on his sleeve as her hand lingered just a little longer than a playful push would, his eyes watching her before they both went back to their own tasks.

Ven admittedly didn’t always know. He was young when he came to live here, and really that’s how they had always been; teasing and bickering but a special sort of devotion and loyalty. Ven didn’t give it too much of a second thought. He loved them and they loved him; that was all that really mattered. It wasn’t until they finally got Terra back, when he was the same person he always was before, that Ven really knew. Terra had been quickly tackled to the ground by the two of them, and through the mix of laughter and tears Ven realized that Terra and Aqua looked at each other very differently then they looked at him.

He felt a little stupid afterwards cause looking back it was so obvious to everyone except maybe the two of them. He kinda thought that would be it cause that’s what happens when you realize you’re in love with someone; they’d come home and he’d have to remember to knock before he went in any door. Instead he found them battling their own demons and pushing each other out. Ven didn’t get it, but he had never been in love like that either so it was probably way more complicated than any book he read made it out to be.

“Do you need any help?” Aqua asked, drying her hands with a hand towel as she looked over to what Terra was doing.

“Absolutely not,” he snorted in response.

“Excuse me.” She tossed the towel on the counter before placing her hands on her hips, though the action was lacking any real anger. “I used to cook dinner for you all the time.”

“Yeah.” Terra side eyed her, a little bit of a smug smile on his lips. “And every time it was your night to cook Master promised he’d bring me food later if I pretended to eat it and make you happy.”

“You’re such a dirty liar, Terra.” She reached up like she was gonna hit him again as he was already laughing as he poured the cut up vegetables in the nearby bowl.

Sometimes it was still like this, reminding Ven of the way their home used to be. He reached a hand up to his mouth to try and stifle his own laugh. It didn’t work as the both of them looked over at him. He knew they didn’t necessarily forget he was there, but they kinda forget he was there. It never bothered him; he really only wanted them to be carefree like that all the time. 

“You’re on my side, right, Ven?” Aqua said. Her tone was normal but her eyes were pleading with him a little bit. She really didn’t like to lose anything.

Terra was making a face at Ven, like the thought alone was gross. Terra could tease all he wanted but Ven knew if she put food she made on the table they’d both eat it with little complaint just to make her smile.

“You make the best cookies.” Ven settled on not lying but also making her feel good too.

She watched him for a second, like she was trying to figure out if that was a win or not. “I’ll take it,” she said with her usual smile.

“It’s fine.” Terra had his back to them, pouring whatever he had in the bowl into the pot on the stove. “Just about done anyways. We’ll have a little time while it cooks if you guys have anything you wanna do while you wait.”

That’s usually what happened so Ven knew Aqua would probably go off to the library and Terra would hang around the kitchen watching the food and snacking on what he could find. Ven would choose one to stay with depending on how he felt but the thought made his stomach sink a little. It’s not like they didn’t do things together, they spent all day fixing up various parts of their home usually together and they ate together but their down time was just different. Mainly cause he got the feeling Terra and Aqua avoided each other when they had nothing to distract them.

A memory lingered in the back of Ven’s mind, from back before. It wasn’t the first time he got that feeling. Ven really didn’t know why at the time but it was easy to recognize now for what it was. Even then he knew something was wrong. Sure her and Terra fought sometimes, they were rivals in their training but it was never aggressive; just always trying to push each other to be their best. At least, that’s what Ven saw when he watched them. When training was done Terra would tease her and Aqua would pretend to be mad at him but they’d go off with Ven and spend their down time together either outside watching the stars, or playing games, just having fun.

Something changed the older they got, the closer the exam started to loom. It was kinda like it was now; Terra noticeably distanced himself which hurt Aqua’s feelings but she didn’t know how to approach him so she just let it happen. To be fair, then or now, Ven didn’t know how to approach either of them about it too. Back then he just thought they were stressing themselves out to much, that maybe they just needed a break to relax some.

“Well, I guess I’ll go to the library then,” Aqua said, pushing some of her bangs from her face. “Just call me whenever it’s ready.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t read that whole place by now,” Terra snorted, wiping his hands on a towel.

Judging by the numerous talks Ven hated at the time that Master gave him about growing up, and his friend’s ages at the time, Ven realized they probably felt their relationship start to change and neither knew what to do about it; kinda like right now too he supposed. Even though the exam happened shortly after that night, they seemed a little better after Ven forced them in the same room so maybe…

“Who says I haven’t?” she waved her hand at Terra as she started to head for the door.

He was still watching her though he made no move to stop her. So it was up to Ven, right? But he was pretty sure luring them with snacks wasn’t gonna work this time so what was he supposed to offer?

She already had the door open.

“Uh, wait!” he sputtered.

 Both Terra and Aqua stopped what they were doing immediately. She quickly moved back into the room, a concerned look on her face. Oh, whoops. He didn’t mean to make them worry.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, looking almost like she was gonna come try and feel his forehead or something.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” he said, trying to give her a smile.

Terra had moved to lean his elbows on the counter as he watched; his forehead furrowed like it did when he was concerned over something. “Then what’s up?”

Aqua was still standing near the door waiting for his answer too.

Well, crap. He didn’t really have an answer. He should’ve thought this through better. “I, well, you know, just thought we could do something together.”

“Of course,” Terra said. “What did you have in mind?”

Crap. Crap. Crap. “Um… we could…” Ven _really_ wished he thought this through. He tried to quickly scan through his memory for everything they used to do together that didn’t involve training. Inside so Terra could hear the alarm go off on the stove, all three of them, somewhere nearby… “We could play a game!”

“A game?” Aqua asked. “Like a card game?”

Oh, that was a good idea. “Exactly,” Ven nodded, like he always knew what he was talking about. “I’m sure there’s some we used to play in the library. Will you, both of you?”

This time it was Aqua who caved first. “Absolutely we will,” she said with a kind smile.

Terra gestured to the door. “Lead the way, Ven.”

Did he mention they rarely said no to him? He left his book on the table and left the kitchen to take them to wherever he wanted really. The first floor of the castle was pretty much finished; the upper floors still were getting worked on so he figured the same room they used to play in seemed fitting. It wasn’t too far away from the kitchen and had places to sit and a small table to play on, though Ven didn’t quite plan on getting that far.

Terra was the first one who flopped down on the couch, breathing a sigh of relief as he stretched his legs out in front of him.

“Don’t fall asleep, old man,” Ven said. “I have to go find a game first.”

“Need I remind you again, I’m not that much older than you.”

“Yeah, but I don’t fall asleep in the middle of the day.”

Aqua covered her mouth to hide her laughter, especially when Terra arched an eyebrow at her. “What? He’s not wrong.”

Terra kicked his legs up on the couch. “Yeah, see if I make any room for you.”

That was a lie. The moment she sat down to swat at him, he moved them for her. Ven almost rolled his eyes. And people though he was naïve. “Okay, I’ll be right back. I’ll see what I can find.”

“Do you want any help?” Aqua said, probably already standing up to follow him but he was already halfway out the door.

“I got it,” Ven called back. “It’ll only take a minute.” Maybe he had gotten better at lying himself cause neither gave any opposition.

Okay, so he felt a _little_ bad lying to his best friends but at the same time it was for them. Maybe if they could just talk about whatever was bothering them, they’d see what Ven saw. Granted, that wasn’t a strong point for either of them. Terra was never big on words especially regarding his feelings, and Aqua tended to like to hide how she was feeling so she could always seem like she had it under control. But maybe if they could just talk, they’d be happy too.

Ven slid to the ground outside the doorway. It was so quiet in there he couldn’t tell if he was too far away to hear anything or if they just weren’t speaking. Maybe he felt a little bad at eavesdropping too but he had to know if it was gonna work or if he’d need to try something different next time; maybe plan a little farther ahead too.

“Terra, if you lay down you really will fall asleep before Ven even comes back.”

There was Aqua, so Ven supposed he wasn’t too far away.

“Yeah, well, maybe you should give it a try sometime too.”

There was silence for a moment. Well, that was fast. Ven didn’t quite expect one of them to bring something up like that after a second of being alone. It kinda made him wonder how much they really put on appearances for his sake.

It sounded like she started to say something but she didn’t get very far.

“Don’t give me any of your excuses, I know you. I know how you operate.” Terra paused for a moment. “What is it? Nightmares?”

“Sometimes,” she said, though her voice quieter than before. “Sometimes I just don’t want to.”

He sighed; not really exasperated, just tired. “It’s the dark isn’t it?”

Her silence seemed to be her answer. “I just…what if I go to sleep and wake up and this is the dream. What if I’m still there?”

“Aqua, you’re not.” His voice was firm but it was also gentle, soothing. “This is our world. Ven’s here, I’m here. You’re home.”

“But I’ve dreamt of all that before, of here, of you.” She must’ve realized her mistake because she didn’t go on after that.

“Oh?” Terra asked, and Ven could hear the amusement in Terra’s voice. “Did you now?”

“Shut up, you know what I meant.” She didn’t sound mad but she did sound a little flustered; clearly she didn’t mean to let that bit of information slip.  

“Tell me, please, what was I like in your dreams?”

“Annoying, just like the real you is.”

Ven heard Terra laugh probably because Aqua was hitting at him somehow. Ven tried not to smile, even though he knew no one could see him. It was just, this was like how it used to be. He really just wanted them to be happy, whatever that meant to them.

“It’s okay to be afraid, you know,” Terra said, his voice sounding a little more normal. “You don’t always have to tough it out. Just don’t let it run your life.”

“Ah,” she breathed. “Takes one to know one I suppose.”

“What?”

“You. That’s why you’ve been keeping Ven and me at an arms distance away. You’re afraid too.”

It was Terra’s turn to be quiet. “It’s different.”

“It’s not. You were deceived and manipulated. That wasn’t you. This is you, laying on the couch and teasing me, waiting to play a game with Ven even though you’re exhausted.”

He gave some kinda grunt, clearly wanting the conversation to be over. That was Terra, more than willing to help his friends but never wanting to accept the same for himself.

“Are you afraid you’ll hurt us?” And that was Aqua, who always finished what she started.

He laughed, but it was sharp and bitter almost, disdainful. “I already did, haven’t I?”

“No, not aside from pushing us away.” There was some kinda shuffling on the couch but Ven couldn’t tell due to what. “Our Terra would never hurt us.”

“You’re such a sap,” he mumbled.

“Maybe, but it’s true.”

There was a pause.

“Alright, come on.”

There was more movement and then silence again. Well, at least if they were still talking Ven couldn’t hear them. He waited a moment longer but still nothing. He supposed maybe he should at least pretend to finish what he was doing. He did feel a little guilty for listening when they didn’t know he was there, but really it was for everyone’s own good. They did talk, maybe Aqua would be able to sleep better now and maybe Terra would realize neither of them was scared of him. Ven knew it probably wouldn’t be that easy, but it was a start.

Ven walked back into the room ready to announce he couldn’t find anything but if they wanted he’d try harder, which wasn’t a lie. When he rounded the corner around the couch he found he really didn’t have to say anything.

Much like when they were younger, he came back to find them both passed out on the couch. Terra didn’t quite fit anymore, one foot draped over the arm rest while the other was tucked up under Aqua’s legs. She was sleeping beside him, her back to his chest, and one arm hanging over the edge of the couch. Terra had one arm was tucked under his head and the other resting over her waist, hanging with hers over the side.

Ven was admittedly a little surprised, though he shouldn’t have been. Aqua probably hadn’t gotten a full night’s sleep since they got back, and it would be naïve to assume Terra could sleep through the night too. They probably just felt an ounce of comfort and passed right out from exhaustion.

Well, he had to think with a knowing smile, at least his plan worked somewhat once again. Man, he was actually kinda good at this; though he realized it was probably just because he knew them like he knew the back of his own hand. Ven even betted that they’d sleep a whole lot better if they stayed together like he knew they used to as kids. Ah well, that was a plan for another day.

For now he left the room, making his way back to the kitchen. The timer Terra set was still ticking away as Ven sat back down at the table. He knew when it went off he’d just turn the stove off and move the food over till they woke up. He flipped the page in his book as he settled in to read. After all, they had all the time in the world now.


	2. Separation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Terra/Aqua  
> Rating: K  
> Words: 2965

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay before we continue y’all should know I’m a huge sap and I love fluff haha I try not to downplay the emotional turmoil these characters are in but chances are it always end in comfort and hope cause that’s just how I am. I also just want them to be happy ;-;

 

_“But I wanna go too.” Terra very well knew he was whining and that at ten years old it was probably a little below him but he was just so irritated he couldn’t help it._

_“I’m sorry, Terra,” Master Eraqus said from his spot in the docking bay, the ship already running just a short distance away. “But you have to learn to follow the rules when they’re given to you.”_

_“But they were stupid rules!”_

_Master Eraqus gave him a small smile, one that almost made Terra think his master would change his mind. “Maybe, but that wasn’t the point of the exercise. Aqua followed them all so she’s the one who gets to come this time.”_

_Blue eyes peer around Master’s legs, sparkling with amusement as she stuck her tongue out at him. Okay, she was only nine and that was still stupid immature. “That’s because she’s a goodie two shoes.”_

_Aqua didn’t seem that offended though she did look away from him._

_“Hey.” Master Eraqus’ voice was firmer this time, making Terra stand up more at attention. “That’s not how you talk to your friends. Aqua, you know better than to taunt too.”_

_Terra grumbled to himself but he didn’t say anything else._

_“We’ll be back this afternoon. Is there anything you’d like to say before we go?”_

_Terra knew his Master was just trying to get him to say sorry for throwing such a fit when Aqua was the one who followed the rules but Terra really didn’t wanna say anything to her right now. “No.”_

_“Okay,” Master Eraqus sighed. “Are you ready then, Aqua?” He held out his hand for her to take, but she was looking over at Terra, her fingers reaching up to pull at some of the strands of her hair like she did when she was nervous._

_Even though she was literally just rubbing it in his face, her eyes looked a little sad. Whatever. She could deal with it. She could never learn that she shouldn’t dish it out if she couldn’t take it in return._

_“Bye, Terra,” she said._

_He crossed his arms and looked away._

_“We’ll see you in a little, behave yourself please,” Master said and like that they were on the ship to leave._

_Terra didn’t bother sticking around to watch them; he decided storming back up to the castle was a better idea. He got close to just shutting himself in his room but then he’d have to deal with the people inside so he decided to stay outside. He supposed he should just go to the training ground and work out the anger he felt but he just didn’t want to. He wanted to feel mad._

_It wasn’t fair. They never got to leave their world and the one time they can he doesn’t even get to go._

_He flopped himself down in one the fields, fingers picking some of the wildflowers to toss away into the wind. He couldn’t even remember the last time he left, if he left at all since he came to live here years ago._

_Terra leaned backwards, letting himself fall into the grass so he could watch the sky above him. He had only been about seven years old at the time, just an orphan Master saw something in. Terra was brought back here, to the prettiest place he had ever seen; granted he had only ever seen the world he lived on and it really wasn’t that pretty. Aqua was already here, standing in front of the castle waiting for them. She was kind and sweet, until they started training together and then he realized she was a force to be reckoned with. She was competitive and never backed down from a fight. He liked her right away._

_He grasped at the ground idly. Sure, they fought. She could be an obnoxious know it all and told on him all the time, but she was also curious and adventurous like him. They often snuck off to explore the castle and their world together, pretending they were already masters off to show the world what they could do. They never fought over who was the master; it was always the both of them together._

_“Stupid Aqua,” he grumbled to no one but himself. He thought it would make himself feel better but it only made guilt grip at his chest._

_He didn’t mean to make her upset before she left. He actually really hated making her upset. Terra hated it when she cried, especially if he made her cry. She was the one who followed the rules of the exercise, he didn’t. He tried to find a shortcut to make it easier and he was punished for it. She deserved to get to go on a real adventure._

_Terra sighed. He knew he should do something but what? He liked to train with her, and study with her too. All the games he knew were for two people. He guessed he could wander but at the same time it didn’t seem fun without her._

_It dawned on him this was the first time they had ever been apart since the day Terra came here. He wrinkled his nose as he watched a bug fly over his face. He didn’t like it. It was oddly empty without Aqua. Even though there were people here, people in the castle. Without her nothing seemed quite as fun._

_He rolled over on his side, letting his eyes shut against the bright sun. He shouldn’t have said those things to her and refused to say goodbye. Maybe next time he’d do better to listen so they could have an adventure together. Yeah, that sounded nice._

_“Terra?”_

_He groaned in response to hearing his name. At least he thought he heard his name._

_“Terra?” That time there was some pressure on his arm, like someone was pushing him._

_“What?” he slurred, blinking open his eyes. Much to his surprise there were two blue ones watching him. “Aqua? What’re you doing back already?”_

_She giggled, letting go of him and sitting down. “Already?”_

_Terra pushed himself up onto his hands, feeling grass stuck to the side of his face, his body oddly sore. It took him a second to realize it was because the sun was setting. He fell asleep somewhere along the way. “Oh,” he said, reaching up to wipe some drool from the side of his mouth. “How was it?”_

_She shrugged, he eyes looking out over the field. “Okay.”_

_“Just okay? C’mon, Aqua, don’t leave me hanging. It had to of been cool.”_

_She reached up to tuck some of her hair behind her ears. “It was cool I guess. It just…” She paused, biting down on her lower lip. “Wasn’t the same without you.”_

_His stomach sank. “Aqua?”_

_“Yeah?” she asked, turning to look at him._

_“I’m sorry I was mean to you.”_

_She shrugged again but this time she was smiling. “It’s okay, I would’ve been upset too if it was me. I’m sorry I stuck my tongue out at you too.” Before he could say anything else she reached into her pocket, pulling out something. She held it out to him. “Master said it was okay if I brought you home something, since you couldn’t come.”_

_Terra carefully took it from her. It was a wooden figure, a little frog that looked hand carved._

_“It reminded me of you.”_

_It wasn’t the first time she gave him a gift but for some reason this one felt different. He cradled it in his hand, like the wind might be able to break it. Without thinking much about it he swung his arms around her. “I missed you today.”_

_Aqua carefully hugged him back, her head propped up on his shoulder. “I missed you too.”_

* * *

Terra wasn’t intentionally avoiding them, but he was kinda avoiding them. As much as he tried, he knew he wasn’t fooling anyone either. Ven knew; the blond was always trying to get them to do stuff together. Which Terra didn’t mind, he really didn’t and he really didn’t wanna hurt his friends feelings, make them think he didn’t wanna be around them. But it was so hard to be around them.

He’d be stupid to ever think he could fool Aqua. She knew and couldn’t even bare to hide the sadness in her eyes whenever he pulled away from her. That hurt almost more than what he was doing to himself. Terra always hated himself when he upset her.

He rubbed his hands over his face, the cool night breeze blowing over him as he laid down in the field outside the castle. He supposed he should’ve dressed better than a t-shirt and his thin pajama pants but when he couldn’t sleep yet again, he just walked outside. It was in the least letting him get some fresh air even if he was no closer to sleeping than he was in his room.

Terra really didn’t want to do what he was doing, he hated it. He just wanted to relax in the comfort of being back with his closest friends, his home but he couldn’t. The things he did…they just wouldn’t leave his head. He didn’t even feel like he deserved to be here, like he needed to be punished for what happened but no one ever did. They told him it wasn’t his fault, that he wasn’t himself, that he’d never hurt the people he loved.

He didn’t know how much he bought it when he did do those things, when he did fall prey to the trap set up for him. Even if he had only their best intentions at heart, he still hurt them so much. Because of him Ven was asleep for over ten years of his life. The worlds plummeted into danger because Terra couldn’t see past sweet lies and manipulation.

He let his fist slam down against the ground. What was worse was Ven and Aqua easily forgave Terra, and never held his actions against him. He swallowed thickly at even the thought of Aqua, and her bright eyes and warm smile when she told him it wasn’t his fault.

In his mind, he hurt her the most. Because of her loyalty and devotion to him she plunged herself into the Realm of Darkness just to give him a chance to survive. Terra didn’t really remember what happened that day because he wasn’t himself anymore but he could vaguely remember the way she dove at him without hesitation, willingly giving her life for his.

He could barely be alone with her, let alone touch her. Even if she brushed by him, all it brought to his mind was the hazy image of his hands around her neck, the look of surprise and confusion on her face.

Terra let out an agitated breath through his nose. He _knew_ that wasn’t him, deep down he knew there’s no way he’d ever raise a hand to his oldest friend, his best friend but at the same time it _was_ his hands, his body, his face. He had no idea how Aqua could even look at him, let alone forgive him.

He didn’t know if he could even ever forgive himself.

There were footsteps in the grass were behind him and Terra supposed he shouldn’t be too surprised. Even though there were only three of them in that big castle, they always seemed to know where one another was.

“I know you’re there, Aqua, it’s okay.” He supposed it could’ve been Ven, but usually when he caught Terra sneaking away Ven would just pretend not to see. Aqua rarely let either of them go.

She didn’t say anything as she walked over to where he was laying. She was in her pajamas as well though she had a fluffy robe around her, feet bare as she sat down next to him. Aqua tucked her knees into her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs and letting her head rest on top of her knees. It was a defensive position of hers, one she used when she felt vulnerable; whether that was because she was upset herself or because she knew she was entering his private space he wasn’t sure.

The only sounds between them were the summer bugs making noises around them, the distant sound of nocturnal birds, the distant stream crackling. He didn’t know if she wanted to say something or if she just wanted to keep him company.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he decided to ask first even though the answer was obvious.

Aqua nodded. “I, um, went to see if you were up but you weren’t there. I figured you might’ve come down here.”

“Yeah, just wanted to see the stars.” That was mostly a lie.

He wondered if he should say something to get her to leave. Ven wasn’t here to please too. It was just her and he knew all the things he could say to make her mad, to have her storm away so he’d be alone again; so he didn’t have to look her in the eyes. Yet, the thought of her leaving only made his heart clench. He was so tired of pushing away the one person he wished he could have close by again. He tried to tell himself it was for her own good but when she was sitting there, her warm body so close to his, the sweet scent of vanilla filling the air between them. It was more comforting than he was ready to admit.

A smile was on her lips when he looked over. “Remember when you ‘ran away’ and no one could find you cause you came out here and blended right in with the tall grass.”

He remembered it well; a hot headed pre-teen who didn’t always take defeat gracefully. “That’s not completely true. You found me.”

“Yeah,” she breathed though she looked away. “I always will, you know.”

He swallowed hard. He wasn’t ready to have this conversation with her again. “Aqua…”

“Please stop blaming yourself.” Her voice was barely above a whisper and yet it still sent what felt like a knife to his heart.

“I have no one to blame but myself.” She opened her mouth probably to tell him that wasn’t true but he didn’t think he could hear it yet again. He felt an annoyed, desperate emotion rise up from the pit of his stomach. “Don’t tell me it wasn’t my fault. I remember, I know what I did to you. Do you really think I can let myself live with that?”

“That wasn’t-”

“Don’t. Just don’t say it wasn’t me. They were my hands, Aqua.” There was a quake in his voice that wasn’t quite there before. He found when he opened his mouth, his voice came out softer. “I’ve never wanted to hurt you in my whole life, but they were my hands that did.”

She was quiet and he couldn’t look at her face anymore. He closed his eyes, trying to remember to breathe. He wasn’t mad at her. He knew she only wanted to help, but at this point he didn’t know what could help.

He almost jerked away when he felt a light touch against the back of his hand. Terra opened his eyes to see her fingers against his him. She wasn’t looking at him, just down at the ground.

“I love these hands, you know.” He could tell she was trying to keep her voice even, but it wavered just a bit. “They taught me how to catch frogs in the river, even though I thought it was gross at the time. They bandaged my scraped knees when I didn’t wanna tell Master I’d been up past bedtime training.  They brought me soup when I was sick and they watched over Ven when he was first learning to fight.”

Terra didn’t look up at her until she pressed her hand down on his. Her blue eyes were shining some but if she was crying she seemed determined not to let a tear fall till she was ready. It almost made him laugh; it was so her.

“They taught me strength, compassion, and loyalty. You have gentle hands, Terra, and they were used against you but that doesn’t define you. Ven knows who you really are, and I do too. We’re not scared of you. I’m not scared of you. Don’t push us out. Please, we need you as much as you need us.”

When the first tear rolled down her cheek, he broke. He always hated seeing her cry.

“Okay, it’s okay,” he said. Terra wanted to say more, but he admittedly didn’t always know the right thing to say. Thankfully, Aqua didn’t wait for him to.

She pressed her hand down against his again. This time prompting him to flip his hand over and lacing her fingers in between his. It was such a simple motion, and not the first time in his life he held her hand and yet, it made him feel some sort of relief he hadn’t felt since he came back. Most of the time he was scared to touch her, afraid of a force that wasn’t even a part of him anymore, but having her so close, hearing her words it just made him feel, well, safe.

Terra didn’t know what he deserved to have her and Ven in his life, but he thought maybe it was time to stop questioning it.

“Terra?” she said, her voice almost lost to the wind.

“Hmm?”

“I missed you. Every day.”

He had a feeling she wasn’t just talking about since they got back. He closed his eyes, feeling her thumb rub against his skin. “I missed you too.”

* * *

 

_**Literally weeping over this** **[fanart mmhiman](http://lyssala.tumblr.com/post/168747521450/separation) drew holy crap <3** _


	3. Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Terra/Aqua  
> Rating: K+  
> Words: 3257

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I mention I love writing fluff? Cause I do lmao I’ve wanted to write this one since I started thinking of fics to write for them. I’m a huge fan of childhood friends sharing a bed to comfort one another and how that changes from kids to adults (or teenagers whatever). I also love writing Aqua, who I feel is probably more aware of her feelings on a regular basis and just has to be like why’d my best friend have to grow up to be so gorgeous lmao I also love writing them as kids?? Like holy crap they’re the cutest?? I usually don’t so it caught me off guard at how much I enjoy it haha

_Aqua woke up with a cry. Her eyes frantically darted around trying to make out the outlines of her room so she knew she was really in her bed, safe. There was her bookshelf her desk, her closet, the window with some moonlight shining in. Her stuffed cat was just an arm’s reach away on her bed. Aqua quickly reached over to grab it, pressing it close to her chest where her heart felt like it was gonna pound right out._

_She was vaguely aware of how sticky she felt from the sweat that covered her body, the way her arms were shaking as she hugged her stuffed animal. Aqua buried her face in the soft fur, trying to hide a choked sob. She knew she was safe. She was in her room where there were no monsters that loomed in the darkness ready to hurt her. Master was in the next wing over and Terra was across the hall. He hadn’t lived with them for very long but he seemed tough enough to fight off monsters, at least he probably thought he could._

_It unfortunately wasn’t helping. She felt the fur of her stuffed animal start to get damp as she tried not to cry too loud. Really, all she wanted was to climb into Master’s bed and have him reassure her everything was okay, she was safe._

_Aqua couldn’t bear to move though. She was six years old. She wasn’t a baby anymore. If she ever wanted to be a master herself one day she couldn’t have bad dreams and she couldn’t let herself be afraid of things that weren’t even there. She’d have to tough it out herself but…why did it have to seem so real?_

_“Aqua? Is that you?”_

_She yelped slightly at the sudden voice but she didn’t move her head from her stuffed cat. She knew it was Terra; which made her feel even worse for being so loud she woke him up too._

_“Are you crying?”_

_“No,” she said adamantly, but when her voice came out it was all stuffy from her runny nose._

_He was quiet and Aqua thought maybe he just left. When she poked an eye out, he was closing the door behind him. She quickly hid her face again when Terra turned back around to her; that was all she needed, for him to think she was a baby too. Her tears at least stopped but now she just felt embarrassed._

_“Did you have a bad dream?”_

_Aqua contemplated lying again, but Terra didn’t sound very upset when he spoke, so maybe he wasn’t mad at her for waking him up. “Yes,” she said._

_Her bed moved a little bit and when she peeked out again Terra had climbed up, sitting cross-legged in his pajamas as he watched her. She could see him easily now that her eyes had adjusted to the dark. His forehead was scrunched up a little and he still had a band aid on his cheek, his arm too from where he fell down some of the stone steps outside today while he was playing. It looked like it hurt but he didn’t cry at all. Now he really would think she was a baby._

_“I don’t like bad dreams.” His nose scrunched up._

_Aqua nearly felt all her tears dry up instantly. She lifted her head off the stuffed animal. “You have bad dreams too?”_

_“Yeah, sometimes,” he said, reaching a hand up to scratch the back of his head. “They used to really bother me back home. Make me feel really alone.” He shrugged dropping his hand to his lap. “It’s better here though.”_

_She pushed herself up so she was sitting, pulling her stuffed animal in her lap. “Is it?”_

_Terra nodded and this time he smiled. “I never had someone live across the hall from me before.” His grin was so infectious it was near impossible not to smile back._

_“I never have either. I never really had any friends before.”_

_“Me either.” He paused for a moment, suddenly looking unsure. “But we’re friends right?”_

_She hadn’t really thought about it too much but they had been together every day for a few months now. Sure he was kinda loud and sometimes wanted to do crazy things she absolutely didn’t wanna do but he was fun, and he was kind. “Yeah,” Aqua said with a nod. “We’re friends.”_

_“Well, good.” Terra leaned forward so his hands were pressed to her blankets. “Cause friends don’t let friends be afraid. Do you want me to stay with you?”_

_Aqua thought for a second. Master never strictly said they had to stay in their own rooms at any point. “Like a sleep over?”_

_“Yeah, just like that!”_

_It actually sounded nice. She already felt better since he came in her room, so she thought she might even get back to sleep if he stayed with her. “Okay, yeah,” she said as she pushed the blankets back for him. “I’ve never had a sleep over.”_

_Terra clambered himself up so he could slip under the blankets. “Me either.” He flopped backwards, head hitting her other pillow and making the bed bounce a little._

_It made her laugh._

_He rolled over on his side so he was facing her, and she laid back down so she could do the same. Aqua did feel better now, like even if monsters were to come in her room as long as Terra was with her they could fight them off together. She also felt warm, but not hot, just warm, comfortable._

_She really did like Terra. He had floppy brown hair that stuck out everywhere, and his skin was always tanned, like he spent a lot of time out in the sun. Master would tease Terra, telling him he had the smile of a troublemaker which was kinda true, but Aqua liked it. Her favorite was his eyes though. They were almost like hers but different. She couldn’t really explain it, but she knew when she looked at him, she could trust him._

_She didn’t even notice she was falling asleep again until she blinked her eyes open and saw Terra’s eyes fluttering shut._

_“Don’t worry,” he mumbled, swinging a hand over to rub at the top of her head. “I’ll keep you safe.”_

_She closed her heavy eyelids, letting sleep come back to her. She believed him._

* * *

Aqua bolted upright in her bed, her hands pressed against her chest as she tried to remember how to breathe. She looked around frantically. Where was she? It was so dark. She couldn’t breathe. Where was…

She dropped a hand to her side, feeling a soft blanket and firm mattress underneath her. Aqua swallowed hard, still feeling like she had no breath in her lungs. She curled her fingers into the blanket as she looked around.

Her room. She was in her room. Bookshelf. Desk. Closet. Window. Bed. A dream, it was just a dream. She placed her head in her heads as she closed her eyes, trying to calm her heart down. When she did it only made her see the Darkness again, the monsters that laid before her, the illusions and the taunting deceit. She jerked her head back up. She was still in her room. She was home. It was okay.

The nightmares were getting less and less the longer time she was here but when they hit, they hit hard.

She slipped out of her bed, bare feet hitting the floor as she walked over to the window. She pushed it open, hoping maybe the breeze would help clear her head. Aqua took a deep breath of the fresh air but she couldn’t shake the feeling she was being watched, like one step and she’d be falling back into the Darkness.

She knew it was unrealistic, that the circumstances that brought her there weren’t even a threat anymore. Ven was sleeping peacefully down the hall, so was Terra. They were here too, actually really here. She just had to remember that.

Something twisted in the pit of her stomach. Maybe she should just check on them, just to make sure. Yeah, that was perfectly reasonable.

As quietly as she could she left her room and stepped out into the hallway. Moonlight was shining in, illuminating the hallway from the windows at the end. It didn’t seem too eerie out here but she still felt tension in her shoulders. Aqua _knew_ nothing was wrong but she just had to be sure.

Ven’s room was closest to her side of the wall, just a few rooms up. She carefully turned the doorknob and peered in. It was near pitch black inside, the curtains against the window drawn closed. Aqua couldn’t see anything at first but she could hear him.

When her eyes adjusted to the darker room, Ven was passed out on his bed, head thrown back against his pillow and mouth open as he snored. He was sprawled out, half under the blankets and half on top of them, limbs going in every direction. It made her smile; it was so much like how Terra used to sleep at Ven’s age.

She closed the door, satisfied he was okay in the least. If not, that snoring would probably keep any monsters at bay. Aqua walked back down the hall, where Terra’s room was still across from hers. She didn’t hear anything when she walked up, so she opened the door, sticking her head in.

He was the opposite; he had a bigger window in his room and it was wide open, moonlight illuminating him as he laid in bed. Terra’s back was to her, most his whole body under the blankets, his side rising and falling rhythmically.

He was okay too.

Aqua wanted to feel relief but she couldn’t. She still felt unease in the pit of her stomach, no desire at all to go back to her room and try and sleep again. She watched over Terra as he slept his room which was mostly the same from when he was a kid. She remembered all the times she used to climb into his bed at night, his warm presence always a comfort to ease the nightmares. She also remembered when she stopped. When they started to turn from kids to teenagers, when she started to worry about what he thought of her coming to his room at night, when she started to worry too much about what he thought of her in general. If he saw her as a sister or as an actual girl, whether he thought she was pretty or not, when the thought of sleeping next to him didn’t help her fall asleep but kept her up all night with her heart in her throat, butterflies in her stomach.

If he ever wondered why she stopped coming, he never asked. Maybe if everything hadn’t gone the way it did she would’ve asked him. The answer was probably no; she had always been too afraid the answer wouldn’t be the same she had in her heart.

“Are you gonna come in, or are you just gonna stare at me all night?”

Aqua did her absolute best not to let out a surprised squeak. Terra’s voice that didn’t sound tired at all; he was probably wide awake the whole time. Hoping the darkness of the room would mask the heat she felt in her face at getting caught she shut the door behind her.

He rolled over and pushed himself up on his elbows. He blinked a little at her as she walked closer to him, like maybe he really did have his eyes closed in the least. That didn’t catch her off guard though but as he sat up more his blanket fell to his lap, showing the skin of his chest, his stomach and that sure did.

Oh gods. How did she not realize he wasn’t wearing a shirt? It was summer, the castle got warm. Of course he wouldn’t wear a shirt to bed.

Aqua sat down on the edge of his bed, letting her legs kick off the side, suddenly hyper aware of her own attire; a tank top and shorts wasn’t anything less than what she usually wore during the day. Really, it’s not like she never saw him shirtless before but here, she started to feel like that insecure girl who could barely admit her feelings to herself; probably because those feelings never left, not once. They only grew as they helped her keep her mind sane in the Realm of Darkness, kept him close even though she didn’t know if she’d ever see him again.

Now he was here and she still didn’t know if she’d ever be able to say the words. She couldn’t lose him again.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, though she wasn’t sure if he meant right this second or why she came here in the first place.

“Bad dream,” she said simply, reaching up to tuck some of her hair behind her ear. “I came out to make sure Ven and you were okay.”

Terra nodded. “Is Ven okay?”

“His snoring tells me he’s just fine.”

Terra snorted, leaning his head back against the wall. “I’m not surprised.”

“Why?” Aqua asked, feeling a familiar smile pull at her lips. “Cause you used to sleep the same exact way?”

“Hey, I never snored that bad.”

“Terra.” She couldn’t hold in a laugh. “Oh, yes you did.”

He crossed his arms against his chest and tried to look grumpy she it didn’t quite reach his eyes. The gesture only made his arms stand out more even in the limited light. She glanced away from him which was also kinda stupid cause this was Terra, he was still her best friend.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

She jumped a little because no, she really didn’t wanna talk about how good he looked without a shirt on. Of course, he meant about her nightmare. She knew that. “Ah, same old,” she shrugged. “What about you? Are you sleeping better?”

“Better, yes. Not all the time clearly.”

“Looks like Ven’s the only one who can sleep well, he was the one who was asleep for all those years.”

Terra laughed lightly. It seemed they were finally able to make light of some of the things that happened to them. It was good, it meant they were all moving on with their lives; whatever that meant now. A jolt went through her body. Did she even know? They were so focused on getting their world back together did anyone them even know what they wanted when they had that?

The words were out of her mouth before she even got a chance to second guess them. “What are you gonna do, Terra?”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “I mean, I’ll fall asleep eventually. I wouldn’t worry that much.”

“No, ah…” Great, now she felt dumb that she didn’t even give a proper lead in to a conversation change. “I mean after all this, once this place is the way it used to be. What are you gonna do?”

Terra was quiet for a moment and she thought he might not even answer. “I still wanna take the exam if that’s what you’re asking me. I still wanna do the things I always said I would. I never forgot our dream.”

Her heart was in her throat at his choice of words. It must’ve shown, because he kicked his leg over at hers.

“What? Did you really think I was just gonna up and leave you guys?”

Judging by the relief she felt at hearing his words it was a fear she apparently didn’t even knew she had. Really, she knew he wasn’t just gonna leave, he wasn’t like that yet that didn’t mean she wasn’t scared of him going. “I would hope not. We’d starve without you.”

That time he laughed, reaching both his hands up to run through his hair. “What about you then?”

Despite the fact she brought up the conversation, she hadn’t even thought of it much herself. “The same,” she settled on. “I still wanna travel with you, with Ven.” Aqua paused for a moment. She could almost see this world full again, with visitors, with new masters, with new students eager to learn like she had been. “Maybe one day teach the next kids how Master taught us, keep him alive in a way.”

“You’d be a good teacher,” Terra said, though his voice was a little softer than before. “You always taught me well enough.”

She knew he was just being kind but his words made her stomach sink. Aqua looked over at him, biting down on her lip. “I never wanted to pass without you. I never wanted you to feel like I was trying to be better than you. I never thought that. I only ever wanted us to be together.” Against her will, her breath hitched at the possible double meaning of her words but he if noticed he didn’t let on.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” He leaned forward to place finger under her chin, making her look at him. “It wasn’t a jab, I meant it. And I was never really all that upset with you. I was upset with me and that, well, that you’d be the one to leave me behind.”

“Never,” she breathed, admittedly a little distracted at how close his face was to hers.

“I know. Well, I know that now.” Terra looked like he was gonna say something else but instead dropped his hand and moved back to lay down, resting his head on his pillow. He flipped the end of his blanket at her, revealing the plain sheet underneath.

It was an invitation.

The smart part of her knew how she felt about him, and knew she should probably leave before she embarrassed herself but the much larger part of her longed for the comfort he always brought, especially on the restless nights.

Aqua kicked her legs under the blanket and laid herself down. She placed both her hands under her head, against the pillow as she rolled over to face him. He had this sleepy smile on his face, one that nearly took her breath away. He reached hand over to rub at her head like he used to when they were kids but she swatted him away with a laugh.

Instead of removing his arm completely he draped it over her waist, sending a sharp set of chills down her spine. He pulled her closer just a little, just enough where she could feel the warmth of his body, just so their legs were barely brushing by each other. When Aqua looked up at him, Terra was already falling asleep; eyes closed and mouth hanging open just a bit. She had to smile.

It was different, very different from when they were kids, and different from back before the exam. She let her eyes close, feeling nothing but warmth, comfort and safety; the things that Terra always brought her.

She thought all she wanted was for things to go back to the way it was before, but she knew they never could. It wasn’t bad though, not in the least. Now they had a chance to be better; whatever better may mean to them.

She couldn’t remember the last time she slept as well as she did that night (even if Terra still snored a little).

* * *

 

_**Please see this lovely[fanart mmhiman](http://lyssala.tumblr.com/post/169423322390/sleep) drew for this chapter! ;-;** _


	4. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Terra/Aqua (lots of brot3 again!)  
> Words: 3483  
> Rating: K+

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As we're almost to the halfway point in this set I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone whose been so kind to leave me the sweetest comments and kudos ;-; It's always very scary to go into a new fandom completely blind but you guys have just been so nice and really encouraged me to keep going :3 (I actually almost have the whole 10 chapters written already lmao)
> 
> I didn’t think I’d enjoy writing from Ven’s point of view as much as I have haha He’s such a cutie pie. I also like writing him starting to get older and grow into being a teenager (and taking too much after Terra lmao). I love brot3s, and these three are just so cute together. They really are a sweet little family and writing them all happy and together is so satisfying <3

 

_“We’re gonna make two cakes, okay, Ven?” Aqua wasn’t exactly looking at him when she spoke; her eyes were skimming over the book in front of her on the kitchen counter._

_“Okay,” he nodded from his spot sitting up on the counter, fingers tracing over one of the bowls Aqua had pulled out. “Wait, why two?”_

_She turned to one of the cabinets, pulling out things like sugar, flour, and a few other things Ven didn’t quite recognize. “Because Terra doesn’t like anything too sweet, so we’ll make him one of his own and the other will be for us.”_

_“But how come he gets one full cake for himself but we have to share ours between three people?” Ven wasn’t actually upset, but, c’mon, the more cake the better._

_Aqua looked up from the recipe, an amused look on her face. “Because the three of us will finish the cake, whereas Terra is twice the size of us. He can eat one cake by himself.”_

_“So can I,” Ven huffed, crossing his arms._

_That time Aqua laughed. She reached over to poke him in the side, making him laugh too. “Without getting sick all night.”_

_He couldn’t really argue with that. “Okay, fair point.”_

_Ven peered over as Aqua started organizing the ingredients in front of her. Most he assumed would be the same for both cakes save for flavoring but he honestly didn’t know. He had been sitting outside waiting for Terra to finish training for the day so they could do something, but when Aqua came up and asked Ven if he wanted to help her bake something he couldn’t say no; usually that meant he’d get to lick the bowls. Plus, he liked spending time with Aqua._

_“What kinda cakes are we making then?”_

_“Well, Terra likes dark chocolate since it’s a little bitter so I usually make him a dark chocolate cake.”_

_Ven wrinkled his nose. “Who would want a bitter cake?”_

_“Ask him, I just bake what I know he’ll eat.” Aqua started measuring out some of the flour._

_“What about us then?”_

_A grin crossed her lips. “We’re gonna make the sweetest vanilla cake you could possibly dream of.”_

_Ven pumped his hands in the air. “That’s more like it!”_

_She hummed her agreement as she went back to measuring._

_“Does that mean it’s gonna have frosting?”_

_Aqua turned to the fridge, pulling out one small tub of vanilla frosting and one of chocolate. “Your pick.”_

_Oh, that was hard. Ven liked both on vanilla cake but if they were going for sweet then he wanted sweet. “Vanilla.”_

_“Good choice,” she said with a smile, going back to what she was pouring the bowl. From where he was sitting it looked like more dry ingredients._

_“Sprinkles too?”_

_She placed one hand on her hip as she looked at him. “Who do you think I am?”_

_“Yes,” Ven sighed, leaning back some on the counter. “Baking with you is the best.”_

_Aqua chuckled but she didn’t respond. She just started on mixing the wet ingredients in a separate bowl._

_Part of it was Ven really did love sweets, especially the ones she made but it was also because it was one the first things he remembered doing with Aqua when he came here. He liked her and Terra very quickly but he still felt unsure in himself to go out of his way to be around people a lot. When Aqua asked him to help the first time, even though he couldn’t help much, it made him feel useful, more at home. Now he just liked to spend time with her (and lick the bowl)._

_She was a good teacher; she usually explained what she was doing so Ven could understand (though he had a hard time remembering which ingredient was what and how much went where). She was always patient with him and always kind. He also sometimes liked it when he didn’t have to share her with Terra. Not that Ven didn’t like being with all three of them, he loved it but it was nice to have it just be them too. Plus, Master might not let them all bake together again after Terra kinda started a food fight in an effort to get back at Aqua for teasing him._

_“Here you go, Ven,” Aqua said, handing him the bowl with a wooden mixing spoon. “I’ll start on Terra’s cake.”_

_“Okay,” Ven said, holding the bowl firmly in his lap as he carefully started to mix the liquid ingredients in with the dry ones._

_True to her word she started pouring out ingredients again, barely even looking at the book. She was really quick when it came to baking, and could probably bake all night if she was allowed to. As far as he knew, she was the only one who really knew how to bake in the castle._

_“Hey, Aqua?”_

_“Yes?” she said, pouring some chocolate chips into the mix._

_Ven resisted reaching his hand out to grab some in case he lost his hold on the bowl. “Who taught you to bake? Did you used to do it with your mom?”_

_Aqua was quiet for a moment and Ven quickly realized his mistake. He knew he had no memory past when he came here, but Aqua and Terra probably did but they chose to never talk about it. Ven probably just asked a rather invasive question._

_He felt heat rise to his cheeks. “Ah, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…” But to his surprise she turned to face him with a smile._

_“It’s okay,” she said. “I didn’t, well, not like how I know now. I taught that myself. I was only six when came to live here so I wasn’t even allowed to touch a stove.” Aqua reached for an ingredient but paused. “I do remember baking with my mother, but it’s faint. I don’t remember very much from when I was a small child.”_

_“Like me?” Ven asked, trying to give an apologetic look._

_Aqua sighed pleasantly as she looked at him. “Like you.” She reached up to pinch his cheek though he laughed and tried to swat her hand away._

_He knew he probably should just let it be, but he’d admit self-control wasn’t his strongest point. “Does Terra remember?”_

_She paused again, this time probably wondering the right way to answer a question for someone who wasn’t there. “Yes, I believe he does.” The words “but he doesn’t talk about it” didn’t need to be said. “It’s okay though,” Aqua said, reaching for another bowl to drop eggs in. “We have our family now.”_

_It was a warm feeling. Ven only lived here for a little while but they already included him in everything, in their family. He grinned as he tried to mix the batter better._

_It did make him think something though. Aqua wouldn’t be a teenager forever, she’d grow up too. She’d have another family one day. “Do you think you’ll bake with your kids?”_

_He must’ve caught her completely off guard because her hand slipped as she went to crack the egg and missed the bowl._

_“Oh, Ven,” she said as she went to grab a towel to clean up the fallen egg, carefully avoiding looking at him. “I don’t know if I’d have kids or not. That’s a long way away.” Aqua tossed the towel into the sink and went to grab another._

_Ven knew he wasn’t as good at reading Aqua as Terra was but even then Ven saw the way she reached up to tuck her hair behind her ears, the hesitant hitch in her breath while she cracked the egg in the bowl, but most importantly the look in her eyes she tried to hide. He was pretty sure she had her own dreams she didn’t tell anyone about, not even Terra._

_“I think it’d be a shame,” Ven said._

_“What would?”_

_“If you didn’t ever have kids, you’d be a great mom.”_

_Aqua looked at him this time, though instead of surprise she gave him a sweet sort of smile. He wondered for a moment if she was gonna admit to it, but instead she reached over to wipe some of the chocolate batter she got on her fingers on his cheek. “You’re just trying to get me to leave you more in the bowls.”_

_It was personal, and probably something he wasn’t quite privy too, but he at least hoped she knew he meant it. “Busted.”_

_“Yeah,” she chuckled, but it was a little softer this time. She held up the bowl that had the chocolate cake mix in it. “Trade?”_

* * *

Ven tried Aqua’s room first but it was empty so he took the few steps across the hall to carefully open Terra’s door. It was still early enough that he wouldn’t be awake, but it was very difficult to get up before Aqua, even though Ven purposefully tried this time.

It was a little dark in the room as the sun was only just rising and even then it was easy to pick out the two figures still in bed. He was also glad they weren’t awake otherwise one of them would probably kill him for the smug smile he found on his lips. To be fair as far as he was aware it was just cause they found they did sleep better when the other was nearby and that was all.

Ven didn’t bother shutting the door behind him as he walked in.

It was working in the least. They were getting more sleep, eating more and in turn had more energy and were in better spirits most all the time.

He crouched down at the side of the bed where Aqua was still sound asleep. Terra wasn’t too far away, his arm over her waist, and forehead pressed into her shoulder blade as he slept. Ven nearly rolled his eyes. He wasn’t entirely sure how two people could still be in such denial but he supposed it wasn’t any of his business. Mostly.

“Hey, Aqua.” He reached out to shake her shoulder knowing full well it wouldn’t wake Terra; no one slept like the dead like he did. “Aqua.”

Her eyes fluttered open but it wasn’t until she realized it was Ven waking her up that she practically shot up. “Ven?” she murmured, still half asleep. “What is it? W-” She had to pause for a yawn. “What’s the matter?”

That was still habit for both her and Terra; to assume first that something was wrong, especially when it came to him. Did they even realize how much of parents they could be? Probably not.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Ven said, making sure to give her a smile to put her at ease. “I just wanted you to come make breakfast with me.”

Terra had rolled over when she moved, still sleeping like Ven suspected. Terra would probably only wake up when he smelt food cooking.

“Of course,” she said, trying to smile but only a yawn came out.

Ven jumped up to his feet and started back for the door, hearing the bed shift as Aqua followed him. She closed Terra’s door behind them and started down the hall to the kitchen. She didn’t say too much but that was probably because she was still trying to wake up; he’d be sure to make some coffee for her when they got down there.

“What were you thinking for breakfast?” Aqua asked, her voice sounding a little more like normal.

“Something big,” he said with a grin.

“Big? What’s the occasion?”

Ven shrugged as he pushed open the kitchen door. “None, just wanna do something.”

“Well, okay, let’s see what we have,” she said with a smile, walking in while Ven held the door for her. Aqua went straight to the cabinets, pulling out whatever it is she wanted to make. Ven on the other hand went to make her some coffee in thanks.

She was probably the most morning person of them all, followed by himself, and then Terra last but they all made it work. Ven didn’t even know what made him get up this morning and want to do something like this. He was just, well, happy. Every day was a better day than the one before. They had a lot to be thankful for and he just wanted to celebrate that, even if it was just breakfast.

He poured Aqua a cup of coffee as she finished pulling food out of the fridge. She took the hot mug from him with a sigh and a smile before she leaned back against the sink, looking over everything on the counter.

“We can do pancakes or waffles, we have plenty of mix for that. We also have fruit and whipped cream for toppings.”

“Syrup?” Ven asked, turning his back and pressing his hands up against the top of the counter so he could sit up on it. While he was reassured none of them would suddenly start aging at an accelerated rate, sometimes he noticed it. Like how he used to really have to jump to get up here and now it was barely anything, like how much closer his feet were to the ground when he was sitting.

“Of course, syrup,” she nodded sipping at her drink. If Aqua noticed the change she never said anything though she had to of. He was coming up higher on even her than he used to. He doubted he’d ever be as tall as Terra was, but Ven wondered how Aqua would feel if she ended up being the shortest of all three of them.

“Then we also have the usual eggs, bacon, vegetables and cheese for omelets.”

“Omelets, bacon, and waffles sound perfect,” Ven said, stomach already growling. “I’ll get the eggs and bacon going.”

Aqua was just putting her mug down but turned to place her hand on her hip, one finger pointing at him. “Excuse me, I can make eggs just fine.”

“Aqua, please.” Ven put the palms of his hands together. “Please believe me when I say I love you, but I’ve never seen someone burn bacon before like you.”

“I’m just gonna keep sleeping the next time you wake me up to cook.” She was pulling out a mixing bowl and the waffle cooker from one of the cabinets.

Don’t do it, Ventus, he tried to warn himself. Keep your mouth shut or she’ll throw that waffle maker at you.

He couldn’t resist. “Yeah, you sure looked comfortable in the least.”

Aqua turned around to place the stuff in her hands on the counter. She didn’t actually look mad, though she was making an effort to hide her smile. “How many times have I told you to stop hanging out with Terra.”

“He’s the only other one who lives here,” Ven said as he jumped off the counter.

“My point exactly.” She laughed, pushing at his shoulder, to nudge him over towards stove. “Take these eggs and put that smart mouth of yours to work over there.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay,” he snorted. Ven reached up to grab a pan off the hanger over the stove and set to make the best damn omelets he could. Admittedly Terra was probably the best cook out of them all but Ven tried to pay attention so that he could help when needed.

“Bacon,” he called out and Aqua turned to toss him the package. Ven pulled down another pan, all of which were much easier to reach these days, and started to heat that up as well. He turned around to grab a cutting board and knife Aqua left out for him near where she was mixing the waffle batter. He set it down next to the stove before starting on cracking all the eggs to mix them together in a smaller bowl.

Ven really did love mornings like these. He knew they were almost done with all the touch ups and soon it wouldn’t just be the three of them anymore. Maybe that’s why he wanted to have everyone eat together this morning.

“Onion,” he said, holding his hands open when Aqua grabbed it off the counter. “Green pepper!” That time he held his hand behind his back but completely missed causing the pepper to fall limply to the ground.

Aqua couldn’t stop laughing, making him grab it and walk over to take the cheese off the counter himself.

“I tried okay,” Ven said, holding up the still technically intact pepper.

“Mhhhm, course you did, sweetheart.” She was pouring some the batter on the sizzling waffle maker but there was still a big smile on her face.

Ven shook his head and went to cut up the vegetables, but not before he got the bacon sizzling on the pan. “And start the countdown till when Terra wakes up.”

“I give it five minutes.”

“Oh man, you’re generous. Between the waffles, eggs and bacon? More like two minutes he’ll be rolling out of bed.”

Aqua chuckled; it looked like she was getting more of the batter ready. Clearly she knew how much food Ven and Terra could consume in one sitting.

Ven got the vegetables and cheese cut up in no time thanks to actually watching how Terra cut their food before he cooked it, and had the first omelet on the pan by the time the brunette in question came walking into the kitchen.

“Morning,” he yawned, stretching his arms over his head.

“What was that, Aqua?” Ven squinted at the clock on the stove. “Three minutes?”

“Fine, you win,” she said, flipping the waffle maker so it cooked on the other side too.

Terra arched an eyebrow. “Did you guys really bet on how long it would take me to get up?”

“Yep and I won.” Ven scooped the first round of bacon off the pan and placed it on a towel he set out to absorb the grease.

Terra rolled his eyes as he made his way past Aqua to the fridge. She hummed as she took out the waffles, prepping the machine to make more. Ven half expected to look over to see Terra kiss her on the cheek or something. All they were missing were some bathrobes, a dog, a newspaper on the table and they’d really look like typical family.

He instead reached into the fridge to grab the carton of milk and pop it open, taking a drink straight from it.

“Terra, seriously,” Aqua said, turning to face him. “There’s cups right there.”

Ven could see the conventions of an early morning with the family so easily it made him laugh. “Yeah, don’t be a bad example, Dad.”

Terra choked on the milk, practically spitting it out in the fridge. “Gods, Ventus,” he coughed. “I am nowhere near old enough to be your dad.”

Aqua seemed to think it was funny because she had her hand over her mouth trying not to laugh. Terra put the milk away, obviously having enough for the time being.

“I don’t wanna hear it from you,” he said, reaching over to grab at her sides, making her squeak in surprise, batting his hands away. Terra didn’t seem to mind, already making the short way over to where Ven was.

Before he even had the chance to get away, Terra had Ven in a headlock, rubbing the top of his head. “Hey!” Ven exclaimed, though he couldn’t quite stop laughing either. “Let go, I’m cooking!”

Terra looked over at the pans; the omelet cooking and the next batch of bacon making the kitchen smell amazing. “Yeah, it looks okay.”

“Just okay?” Ven reached over to hit Terra in the stomach, but he twisted catching Ven’s arm instead.

“Boys, if you could not wrestle near the boiling oil so I don’t have to perform magic to heal burns on your bodies that would be great,” Aqua said, putting another stack of waffles on a plate.

Terra rubbed down on Ven’s head again before letting him go. “Watch the omelets, buddy, they’re looking good. I’ll watch the bacon.”

“No, you’ll eat the bacon,” Ven snorted.

As if to prove his point, Terra reached around to grab a piece off the towel, taking a bite out of it.

Ven laughed but he went to flip the omelet while Aqua was making another set of waffles. Terra tried to eat more of the bacon (which Ven expertly protected) but Terra also kept cooking new pieces too.

Eventually it wouldn’t be just them making breakfast in the kitchen, but for now it still was. Ven very well knew Terra and Aqua weren’t his parents, but at the same time aside from Master Eraqus, they were the only parents he ever had. They were unconventional sure, but they were his family. He could never ask for a better one.

* * *

 

_**And more lovely[fanart mmhiman](http://lyssala.tumblr.com/post/168782643690/family) drew for this chapter! ;-; They killing me I swear** _


	5. Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Terra/Aqua  
> Rating: T (Slight Language and Sexual Implications)  
> Words: 4445

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MAN, I always knew I was gonna do this one too haha I dunno why I had it in my head like this but I did. I do love me some childhood friends love confessions, there’s just something so sweet about all that history coming up to this one point ;-; I was actually gonna make this with a bit higher rating haha but writing it, it just didn’t feel right. So just so there’s some heads up there is some slight sexual implications towards the end but no graphic language or anything of that nature ^^
> 
> I had to have someone read this one over I was so nervous haha I know its probably the one everyone would look forward to so I hope its enjoyable :D

 

_“Master, have you ever been in love before?” Aqua’s voice echoed in the otherwise quiet library making Terra glance over to where she was sitting. She wasn’t too far away, book open in her lap, back pressed up against one of the pillows Master brought so they could all sit on the window bench together._

_Terra peered over his own book at them, Aqua in the middle and Master on the other end leaning up against the wall like Terra was on his side. He was kinda surprised it was her who broke their quiet reading time; usually it was him who got bored._

_Master Eraqus didn’t look upset at the question, only surprised, maybe a little amused. “Oh, Aqua, that’s a very large question.” He tapped his finger against his chin. “I love lots of things. I love coffee in the morning, I love a good meal.”_

_“No, Master,” Aqua laughed, he legs kicking against the side of the cushioned bench. She was seven but her feet still didn’t touch the ground.  “With a person.”_

_“Well, then that’s a little more specific.” He looked like he was pondering but Terra thought Master Eraqus might just be humoring her. “I love my friends dearly. I love you.” He reached up to tug at her hair making her laugh again before glancing over with a knowing smile on his lips. “I love Terra as well even though he’s listening and not actually reading.”_

_As if on reflex, he put the book in front of his face like it would hide the fact he really was listening to them talk._

_“No, Master,” Aqua said again. “Really in love, like romantic love.”_

_Terra nearly groaned aloud. She could be such a girl sometimes._

_“Ahh.” Master Eraqus arched an eyebrow. “What makes you curious about that kind of love? Something you want to tell me, little one?”_

_“No!” Aqua exclaimed a little louder than she probably needed to._

_He chuckled before looking over to Terra who gave up hiding his face again. “What about you, child? Curiosity got the better of you?”_

_Terra stuck his tongue out like he tasted something gross. Really if he had his way they’d still be outside training._

_“That’s what I thought,” Master Eraqus chuckled, crossing his arms against his chest and leaning back more against the wall._

_“But you didn’t answer?” Aqua said, her voice in that borderline whiny tone._

_“Leave it,” Terra said, reaching a foot over to kick her a few times in the legs. “Don’t be so nosey.”_

_It seemed to work because Aqua dropped her eyes, suddenly looking very apologetic._

_“It’s okay, Terra, there’s nothing wrong with a little curiosity. That’s how we learn after all,” Master said._

_It wasn’t really what Terra wanted to hear. He knew it was bad when he’d rather be reading than talking about this._

_“To answer your question, yes, Aqua, I have been in love before.”_

_Terra could see the question on her lips; where were they then?_

_“But that was a very long time ago.” Master Eraqus gave a smile. “Keyblade wielders lead a different life than the rest of the world and so I’m plenty happy here where I am.”_

_“But isn’t that sad?” Aqua asked, her blue eyes wide._

_“Oh, not at all. You can love and have it not last or you can love more than once.” Master leaned forward a little. “One of the hardest lessons life has to offer is that love, whether romantic or not, is not always easy. It’s not always a fairy tale, little ones. Sometimes it hurts very much to love another person but being able to share love with someone, to have them love you in return, that is a gift to be cherished.”_

_Terra honestly didn’t see what the big deal was about. If it hurt so much why would you want it? Aqua on the other hand seemed to understand because she nodded, looking back to her book. Oh, finally._

_“But how do you know you’re in love with someone?” she asked._

_He leaned back to hit his head against the wall._

_“I assume you mean romantic love again?” Master Eraqus chuckled._

_Aqua nodded, clearly eager to hear the answer._

_“I assume it’s different for everyone. Some people may know right away, know at a glance. Some it might take longer to understand how they may feel. Some might not even know till it’s too late.”_

_“But how do you stop that from happening?”_

_“The question everyone wants to know.” He gave her an amused look. “It’s like what I’ve been teaching you. Learn to listen to your heart. Understand yourself, how you think, what in the end will be best for you and listen to your heart.” He reached up to poke her in the chest, making her laugh._

_“Are we done yet?” Terra groaned._

_“Alright,” Master said, pushing himself up to his feet. “It’s probably about lunch time anyways.”_

_“Finally.” Terra placed the book and the bench and jumped off, already starting to run to the door._

_“Terra!” Aqua called. “Stop it, you’re gonna get hurt if you run through here!”_

_He turned around to walk backwards. “Stop worrying all the time.” Though, he did almost walk backwards into a chair so maybe she had a point. Not that he’d ever tell her that._

_“You stop being so reckless all the time.” She was already headed towards him. She wasn’t running but she was walking faster than usual to catch up to him._

_“Race you down there then!”_

_“Terra! That’s not fair, you got a head start!”_

_He actually did slow down, letting her reach the door first even if was only to make sure Master was still coming. He was, though he was walking a bit behind them, this sort of strange look on his face. Terra didn’t think it looked bad or mad even, well, Master Eraqus was smiling so it couldn’t be too bad. It was knowing maybe? Like he knew something they didn’t. It was weird, Terra couldn’t place it._

_“I’m gonna beat you if you don’t hurry up,” Aqua said, though she was waiting by the door for him._

_“Like that would happen!” He started to run the same time she did, anything else long forgotten._

* * *

Thunder crashed overhead as Terra swung open the front door of the castle. He could barely grip the handle let alone see it in the downpour of rain. He managed to get it open enough to get Aqua inside and slip in himself before the sky lit up from lightning. The door closing echoed in the otherwise empty hallway, the sound of the heavy rain much more distant than when they were outside.

Aqua was bent over, her hands on her knees while she tried to catch her breath, water dripping from probably every inch of her body. He even had to reach up to try and push away his hair that was now completely plastered to his face. He was absolutely soaked. Terra wasn’t wearing too much to begin with, just a light shirt and pants to train in but he was pretty sure down to his socks were soaked through.

 When she looked up at him, he couldn’t help it. He started to laugh.

“Terra,” she said though she was doing a bad job trying to hold back her own laughter. “Shhh, the kids are already asleep upstairs.”

“You look like a cat that fell in a lake.”

“Can you even see yourself,” she snorted, standing up as she gestured to him. “You’re one to talk.”

He wondered if he ever told her how pretty she was. Terra figured if he had to think about it, the answer was probably no. He tried to ignore the slight stab he felt in his chest at the thought. He was never really great at articulating himself in that regard, sure, but it was still his own fault for never even trying.

“Go get changed,” he said instead. “All we need is for you to get sick right when we just took in a bunch of teenagers.”

Aqua chuckled but it quickly turned into a groan. “I can’t. I forgot, Kairi is sleeping in my room till hers is ready. I don’t wanna wake her up or worse…” Aqua gestured to herself. “Drip all over her.”

Terra tried to hide his laughter but it didn’t work. She reached over to hit him in the arm but it didn’t help. “Okay, okay. I’ll take care of it, just go in the living room and start a fire to stay warm.”

She didn’t look too sure. “You have two people sleeping in your room, are you sure?”

“Yeah, two teenage boys who I’m fairly certain from personal experience of being a teenage boy, can sleep through anything. Water included.”

“Alright,” she said. “Just be careful.”

“Always.”

Aqua was already walking through the hallway off to the side, one that would lead her to one of the rooms that had a fireplace. He kicked off his shoes by the door, also removing the terrible wet socks before making his way to the staircase.

It wasn’t terribly cold so he was okay for now, but he knew Aqua always got cold much easier than he did. He also knew from the amount of times she stole the blankets from him both in childhood and now.

The thought made his chest feel warm. Just months ago nights were his absolute least favorite part of the day, and now they were some of his favorite parts. Sometimes they’d talk and sometimes they’d fall right asleep after an exhausting day, sometimes she’d fall asleep and he’d stay awake amazed they ever made it out of their situations, amazed he ever got her back.

Usually it was easy to fall asleep next to her but some nights were harder when every day he realized how more and more he never wanted to lose her again. He’d lay awake thinking of all the things he wanted to say to her but that’s all it ever was. He was stuck in an endless trap of knowing the things his heart wanted, but also knowing she’d never want someone like him. Aqua was his best friend, his closest comfort. He’d just make himself learn that would be enough.

Terra carefully opened his door and peered in. The room was both dark and quiet meaning both boys were probably sleeping. He walked in though watching where he stepped since Riku and Lea decided to sleep on the floor even though Terra did offer his bed.

It was a little strange today having so many other bodies in the castle again, even if it was only by four. It wasn’t bad, just different.

He made his way over to his dresser as best he could without stepping on Riku who was closest to it. Terra probably would’ve never recognized the kid he met so long ago as the one who was sleeping on his floor considering Riku was probably triple in size since then. Even now, he had his legs kicked out of the blanket that was too small for him; something Terra knew all too well.

He inched by, aware that he was probably getting the carpet soaked as he did but there wasn’t much he could do about that. He reached into the first draw and pulled out whatever he could. In the moonlight it seemed like it was enough so he didn’t question it. He left the room (still without stepping on either of them; both boys were pretty tall, they took up a lot of room) and hurried into the nearest bathroom to change out of his soaking wet clothes.

Terra admittedly felt much better heading back down the stairs now that his clothes were in a pile on the bathroom floor and he was wearing a much dryer shirt and loose pants. His hair was still dripping down his back but whatever it would dry eventually. He walked into the hall, following the crackling sounds of the fireplace till he found Aqua standing in front of the fire she had going.

“Back,” he said, waving the clothes in his hands as she turned around.

“Oh thank the gods, I’m freezing.” Aqua quickly ran over to him. She wasn’t dripping any more at least but her training clothes were sticking too her which he knew for a fact wasn’t very comfortable.

“Looks like I managed to grab a shirt and shorts though it’ll probably be a little big, that okay?”

Aqua took the clothes from his outstretched hand. “Anything is better than this.” She stood there for a second, just holding the clothing when Terra quickly realized she was waiting for him.

“Right, sorry, I’ll just…” He wasn’t sure if she wanted him to leave or not but he settled on turning his back to her. She seemed to be okay with that considering he could hear her rustling behind him.

To which he promptly decided to think of everything but what was going on. They did share a certain level of…intimacy as they slept in the same bed but it was nothing like…that. Even if sometimes he woke up with dreams about her he’d never admit to anyone. Ever. And being reminded of that wasn’t helping. At all.

 It was just, Aqua, that’s all it was.

The only problem with that was there was no “just” Aqua. She meant more to him than he even knew how to articulate. He ignored it and pushed it away even more before the exam, but as they settled into their new lives, as each day seemed a little lighter than the last, he couldn’t even deny it to himself anymore.

“Okay,” she said.

Terra turned back around as Aqua was absent mindedly shaking some of the water from her hair. As predicted, his clothing was huge on her. His shirt was nearly long enough that she didn’t even need the shorts. What was surprising was the sharp surge in affection he felt at the sight of her in his clothing. Suddenly the words he was thinking earlier came tumbling out uncontrollably.

“You’re beautiful.”

Aqua paused for a second, her hand frozen in her hair.

Ah, shit. Terra panicked. He really hadn’t meant to say it aloud or if he was gonna not like that. Before he could fumble out more words she rolled her eyes, a knowing smile on her face.

“Don’t tease, you’re too tall.” Aqua moved to hang her wet clothes on the mantel, leaving him to watch her go.

He wanted to feel relieved she thought he was teasing but his stomach only sank that she didn’t take him seriously.

“How were Riku and Lea?” she asked, still trying to get her clothes up without dropping them in the fire.

“Sound asleep,” Terra said as he followed her to the fireplace. “And taking up the entirety of my floor.” He reached up behind her to grab her shirt and pants, hanging them on the hooks set up for this very reason.

“Well, that’s what teenage boys do.” She turned around before Terra was finished securing the clothes and he found himself nearly face to face with her.

“Yeah,” he murmured. “They do.”

Aqua didn’t move, just kept watching him till he dropped his hands. “Do you just wanna stay down here tonight?”

“Ah, yeah, that’s fine.”

Aqua smiled as she brushed by him to walk over to the old closet on the other side of the fireplace. He had no idea the last time it was even opened.

The loss of her presence was like a punch to his gut. He had no idea what had gotten into him tonight. Usually he could keep his feelings hidden only to himself but tonight he just felt everything her normally felt but like maxed out to one hundred.

Terra knew. Deep down he always knew it was her. He just had no idea if he could tell her without risking all the comfort they found in each other.

“Aqua?” he asked when she didn’t come out from behind the closet door.

She didn’t respond but she did come out, most of her entire body covered by the blankets in her arms.

“What are you doing?” Terra tried not to laugh but he couldn’t help it. He quickly walked over to take some of the blankets from her hands.

“The couch is too small,” she said once he could see her face again. “I thought I’d do what we used to do on cold nights, pile blankets by the fire place.” Aqua dropped hers unceremoniously in the middle of the room. “Remember?” 

“What I remember is you stealing all the blankets during the night.” He placed the blankets on top of hers. It was starting to look like the bundle they used to make, even if they were a lot bigger now.

“I thought about it a lot, you know.” Aqua’s voice was oddly quiet. When he looked up she was looking away. “When I was…there. It was so cold all the time. I thought if I could get out I’d want this again.”

His breath hitched in his throat. “The blankets?”

“Yes, well, sort of,” she breathed. “You too.”

“Aqua.” Terra wanted to take a step forward but he stopped himself. “You could’ve asked. I’d sleep on the floor for you. I really don’t care.”

She shrugged looking up at him. “Oh, well, with everything that went on when we came back it just didn’t seem important.”

He wanted to tell her that if she thought it would help then of course it was important but he was struck with a jolt to his chest.

“But since we’re here I was reminded.”

It was personal. She was sharing something from a time she didn’t like to talk about. Terra didn’t remember everything but he remembered thinking of her, of the things he’d tell her if he got a second chance. The feelings never left, hell, they only got stronger every day. His second chance was staring right at him.

“I meant what I said.” He did take that step forward. If something happened to him, to her, he knew he’d never forgive himself. His hand was shaking but he reached up to place a finger under her chin, tilting her face up to his. “You really are beautiful. I’m sorry I never said so before.”

Terra leaned his face closer to hers but he stopped himself before he got too close. It wasn’t the first time he wanted to kiss her but he had no idea how she felt about him, if she’d even want him when-

Aqua placed both her hands on his face, pulling him the last few inches till her mouth was pressed against his.

Her lips were so soft, her hands not letting him move even if he wanted to, and despite just getting soaked her hair still smelt faintly of vanilla. His heart was in his throat, his body in some sort of shock that she was actually kissing him he must’ve completely forgotten to move.

She pulled away from him, this surprised look on her face like she just realized what she did. He knew the look in her eyes; she was about to get embarrassed and apologize profusely but he wasn’t gonna give her that option. Terra moved his hand past her cheek to the back of her head where he pulled her in to kiss her. This time she was the one caught off guard as she gasped against his lips.

Aqua recovered better than he did, kissing him back in such a way it took his breath away. She reached her hands back up around his neck, her fingers running through the hair at the base of his neck and sending chills down his spine. He dropped his hands to her waist, wrapping them around her lower back to pull her closer to him.

Despite the loose fitting clothing she was wearing, he could feel the curve of her waist into her hips, the warmth radiating from her body pressed up against his. His fingers pushed down against her, every inch still not close enough for him. She seemed to agree because she jumped up at him, causing Terra to scramble to move his hands to catch her.

Aqua on the other hand never seemed to doubt him, wrapping her legs around his waist and reaching her hands up to rest on his face. She pulled away but only enough to put her forehead against his, her breath warm on his face.

Really he just wanted to kiss her again and probably not stop for a while but he took a moment to catch his breath. He took a step backwards to try and steady them both as he let his eyes close, Aqua reaching a hand up to run through his hair.

Of course, it was just his luck the foot he placed his weight on landed right where the carpet ended and where Aqua had apparently been standing previously because there was a small wet patch. Terra usually could catch his balance even when holding her but he admittedly was…very distracted. He felt himself start to fall backwards and braced himself to take the brunt of the impact.

The blankets at least cushioned his head and Aqua reached her hands out to the floor to take some of the force off him. He still felt the wind get taken out of him.

“Terra, are you okay?”

He blinked up at her. She was leaning over him slightly as she was sitting on him now, legs on either sides of his hips. He felt his throat go dry, heat swirling in the pit of his stomach as the situation hit him. “Yeah,” he said, pushing himself up onto his elbows. “Save for my wounded pride.”

She leaned back a little, seemingly satisfied but then she got this look in her eyes, one he knew well.

“Are you serious?” he said as she started to laugh; not a giggle but full on laugher.

He wanted to say something in defense of his embarrassment but he found he wasn’t actually embarrassed at all. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw her laugh like that, where her eyes were shining with tears.

Terra found he could only grin and roll his eyes. This was Aqua, his oldest friend, someone who never gave up on him even when it seemed hopeless. She always stood by his side, she trusted him, she encouraged him and she made him happy. Maybe he could make her happy too.

This time he didn’t think about it. “I love you.” That didn’t seem enough.  “Like I really love you.” Okay, that was lamer than the first.

She gave him this sweet smile and for a moment he didn’t know what she was gonna say. “I was eleven years old.”

He was about to ask her what she was talking about but she was leaning down over him again and he couldn’t breathe.

“When I fell in love with you. I thought it would go away but it never did.”

He tilted his face to hers, kissing her slightly more carefully this time. She dropped her weight onto him only making him lean back to the ground as he wrapped his arms around her. He rolled her to their sides so she was on the blankets with him.

He pulled away with a sigh, Aqua’s blue eyes fluttering open. “I was sixteen and I was terrified.”

“Why?” she chuckled, reaching up to run her hands through his hair. “Afraid someone would find out?”

“No,” he breathed, rubbing circles on her lower back with his thumbs as she squeezed a leg between his, inching closer. “Well, I mean, probably that too. More so of hurting you.”

“Terra, when you were sixteen you hit me so hard with an attack I hit the training room wall. I don’t know how much I buy that.”

“You know what I mean.” He pinched her back making her laugh and squirm a little in his arms. “Also that’s not fair. Do you even know how much you’d hurt me if I ever pulled punches for you?”

She hummed like she was gonna respond but he leaned in to kiss her instead.

Terra had no idea why he didn’t do this so long ago. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so, well, light. All his fears about himself, about her just didn’t seem all that frightening anymore.

Aqua hummed again as she dropped her hands to his chest, pulling away slightly. “This was a good idea.”

“What was? The getting soaked outside or the knocking me over to the ground?”

She grinned at him. “All of it.” Aqua kissed him again though this time he slipped his hands under the large shirt, feeling the soft skin o f her back. She gasped a bit but she didn’t stop. She only reached down to tug at the hem of his shirt, pressing her hips into his.

Terra groaned against her. Aqua’s fingers were already brushing against his bare stomach, making goose bumps rise on his skin. Her words were echoing in his mind as he broke their kiss, trailing his lips to her jaw, her neck. She let out a small cry that made his veins feel like they were on fire. She tugged a little more aggressively at his shirt.

All of it, she had said.

He let her pull his shirt off, tossing it somewhere he couldn’t see; nor did he care. His hands reached back under her shirt to her bare back as he pulled her against him. Another gasp only encouraging him as he kissed her again with a different kind of intensity. Aqua kicked her leg over his hips in an effort to get closer and he couldn’t stop his fingers from pressing against her as he rolled his hips into hers.

Her hands ran up his chest and were back in his hair, fingers curling as she grabbed onto him and nearly knocking him over again as she kissed him.

All of it.

There were things Terra greatly regretted his past. Things he’d change in a second and yet for every angry word and every wrong path it still led him here back to his home, to Ven, to her. And that he’d never regret. It took him a long time, but he could finally easily hear what his heart was trying to tell him.

 


	6. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Terra/Aqua  
> Rating: K  
> Words: 3669

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a little harder to write but I had to have a transitional chapter from the last one into the next one. I also just really love the next generation keyblade wielders training under them okay. Idk why or how it would happen but I just wanted to be self-indulgent and have them there lmao It’s such a cute image in my head. Let Terra and Aqua be everyone’s mom and dad okay. 

_Aqua never thought of herself as much of a girly girl, despite what Terra said, but she never felt quite so lost as she did staring at her closet trying to find something to wear. To be honest she didn’t have much outside her usual gear and training clothes but neither seemed incredibly appropriate for tonight._

_She placed her hand on her hip as she used her other to skim through what was hanging up. She had a few formal dresses from having to attend events with the council but that seemed a little too much, yet anything else seemed too casual._

_“What’re you doing in here? It’s been hours.”_

_Aqua turned her head to her doorway where Terra was leaning, his hands in his pockets as he looked at her indifferently. “It’s been maybe a half an hour, don’t be dramatic.”_

_He shrugged as he stood there, nearly as tall as the door itself. For a few years there she was taller than him, but once he hit fifteen he seemed to grow a foot every week. It didn’t bother her too much as she always kinda expected it._

_“Is there something I can help you with?” she asked, arching an eyebrow._

_“You never answered my question.” Terra walked into her room, sitting down on the edge of her bed as he watched her, clearly waiting for answer._

_“I’m trying to get changed if you really need to know.”_

_“For what?”_

_She huffed, crossing her arms as she turned to face him. “You sure are asking a lot of questions for someone who doesn’t seem all that interested in what I’m doing.”_

_A smile twitched at his lips but he still managed to look passive, an annoying trait he seemed to pick up lately. “I never said I wasn’t interested.”_

_Now he was just being difficult. “Terra, will you just leave so I can finish please.”_

_He decided to do the exact opposite of what she asked as he laid back on her bed, placing his hands under his head. “Finish what?”_

_“Gods, I’m going to throw something at you if you don’t leave.” Aqua looked back at her closet choosing to ignore that from her angle and the way he was laying down she could easily see just how much he was growing from somewhat lanky teenager to having the curves of muscle on his arms, his chest. Also so she could adamantly ignore the way her face was getting hot. Stupid Terra. Why did he have to choose now of all times to bug her._

_“Then just tell me what you’re doing.”_

_“I told you already.”_

_He rolled his eyes. “But what for, we don’t have anything to do tonight.”_

_A smile pulled at Aqua’s lips. She could just tell him but if he could mess with her all the time then who said she couldn’t mess with him too. “I do, that’s what I’m getting changed for if you wouldn’t mind getting out now.”_

_“For what?” Terra pushed himself up to his elbows, an almost mocking smile on his lips. “Got a date?”_

_Aqua leaned in to her closet to pull out one of the formal dresses. “As a matter of fact, I do.”_

_He must breathed in the wrong way or something cause the next thing she knew he was leaning forwards trying to stop coughing. “Are you kidding me?”_

_She glanced over at him and his indifferent façade finally broke. She wasn’t entirely sure what the expression was, disbelief maybe. “No, I’m not, can I finish now? I have to leave soon.”_

_Terra completely ignored her. “With who?”_

_“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.” She put the dress back, picking out another one._

_“There’s no one else here right now but us.  Who is it?”_

_“Who said anything about it being here?”_

_Terra stood up that time. “No way. Master would never let you leave the world just to go on a date alone. You’re fourteen years old.”_

_She tried not to feel the sharp sting to her chest at his words. She was only a year younger than him, why did that matter at all? “Yeah, well, maybe Master knows I’d behave.”_

_Terra didn’t say anything that time but when Aqua turned around he was still watching her expectedly._

_“What?” she asked._

_“Who is it?”_

_“No one you know, so why are you so concerned?”_

_He didn’t seem to have a good answer for that. He breathed out a huff through his nose before turning on his heel. “Whatever, Aqua.”_

_She watched him leave her room and pushed away the sinking feeling in her chest. He was always a little hot tempered, and she was antagonizing him a little but she hated it when they fought. She sighed and pulled out a summer dress that was a little informal but still pretty enough._

_Aqua got changed, her room and the hallway outside completely silent. She tried not to think about why he was so irate over the thought of her actually having a date knowing it was less what her stupid heart wanted it to be and more he was probably annoyed at the thought of her getting to leave and him getting stuck here._

_Of course, most everything she had said was just to push his buttons, which worked, so she couldn’t really be completely mad at him._

_She put on some shoes from the bottom of her closet and walked outside, closing her door behind her. Aqua wanted to find Terra to apologize before she had to do what Master Eraqus asked of her but she found she didn’t need to look far._

_He was sitting on the main staircase, chin in his hand as he watched the front door with a sour look on his face. Okay, so he was still mad at her, not too surprising honestly._

_She crouched down next to him, his eyes glancing over at her. “Master asked me to meet the visitors coming in tonight and show them around. It’s a date of sorts, but I’m pretty sure they’re older than Master is so not really that kinda date.”_

_Terra tilted his head slightly towards her, not looking quite as bitter much to her surprise. She reached up to pinch his cheek. “Stop being so grumpy, I’m not leaving you behind.”_

_He snorted and swatted her hand away._

_The clock in the entry hall rang and she knew it was getting too close to the time she had to head down to meet the visitors. She stood up and walked the rest of the way down the stairs but turned when Terra still didn’t say anything._

_He didn’t look all that mad anymore or even passive, she couldn’t really read him. “Why are you so mad?” she asked, a smile pulling at her lips. “I only learned how to tease from the best.”_

_Terra did smile that time, though he tried to hide it behind a roll of his eyes. “Get outta here. Go impress someone else.”_

_“Does that mean I impressed you?” she asked._

_“Aqua, go, you’re gonna be late and Master will blame me.”_

_She chuckled as she waved to him. He waved back but he made no other effort to move. Aqua headed to the front door, feeling a slight skip in her step. She didn’t wanna let herself believe it but maybe he felt a little relieved she wasn’t actually going on a date._

* * *

It was strange, it was almost like Aqua’s whole life changed but then almost like nothing changed at all. She and Terra had always been together, since they were kids. Seeing each other day in and day out was nothing new.

She usually woke up first and went down stairs to start making coffee. Someone would follow shortly, sometimes it was Ven, sometimes it was Kairi, sometimes Terra, who was getting used to waking up earlier to feed the many more mouths they had these days. Rarely it was Sora, Riku, or Lea, all the typical sleep in late and eat a lot teenage boys. From there they’d go about their routine; it would be training for some, teaching for others, studying for the exam for the rest.  Terra tended to take the role of teacher even though he didn’t have the title yet himself; the kids loved him though, something that surprised him probably the most. Aqua offered Riku a chance to teach as well considering he was awarded the title of master as well but he tended to like to stick with the students, often saying he still had plenty more he wanted to learn.

There would be free time and dinner afterwards. Then they’d all get sent off to bed; though Aqua had a feeling like she and Terra used to, not all of them went to bed right away. The day would start up all over again the next morning.

It was an adjustment to get used to having more people in the castle again though Aqua enjoyed their presence and the individuality they all brought with them. Also she wouldn’t lie; it was nice to have another girl for once. It was an easy adjustment; almost like they were always supposed to be there.

She and Terra were also a fairly easy adjustment. They already were used to sharing a room so there was no real change there. Everyone but Ven was used to knocking before barging their way in but he learned pretty quickly. It was like everything merely settled into the way it always was meant to be, like their lives really were moving on; which really made her wonder why she was staring into the bathroom mirror for the past twenty minutes.

Aqua noticed how full her face looked, much more so than when they first got back here and that the bags under her eyes weren’t nearly that dark these days. Her hair was getting longer where she would’ve cut it before, but she kinda liked how it looked. Aqua reached up to brush her fingers through some of the ends. Of course, it wasn’t that exciting staring at herself but it was the nerves in her stomach that kept her standing there.

It was stupid, it was so stupid she knew that but she still couldn’t move. She had a date and she didn’t know what to do about it. Did she just wear regular clothes? Did she dress up? Did she have to considering they weren’t even leaving their world?

Was it even really a date if you knew the person since they were seven years old? And had been sleeping in the same bed as them for months? And had technically already told them you loved them?

“Can’t do anything simple, can you?” she mumbled to herself, hitting her palm lightly against the sink counter.

“Aqua?”

She jumped at the sudden sound of Ven’s voice. She cleared her throat. “What is it?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that when you’ve practically barricaded yourself in there?” Leave it to always observant Ven to keep track of time and of her.

“There’s more than one bathroom.”

“Yeah, but that one has the nicest soap.”

Aqua sighed and turned to unlock the door. She swung it open only to come face to face with the smuggest face she had ever seen next to Terra’s. It dawned on her what Ven was doing. “You were trying to get me to open the door.”

“And it worked.” He slipped in under her arm that was holding the door open. 

She would’ve thought after all this time she’d get used to living with boys. Aqua turned to face him but she was struck by what she saw. Where once would’ve stood a boy who probably would’ve looked sheepish there stood Ven, still grinning and as tall as she was. In that moment, him and Terra really could’ve been brothers they looked so much alike; it was like deja vu but with blond hair and a skinnier build.

“Can I help you then?” she asked, though it was hard to hide her own smile.

“You two are ridiculous you know that, right?” Ven snorted, plopping himself down on the closed toilet seat.

“Ven, what are you talking about?”

“Terra threw me out of his room after he asked me what he was supposed wear and I said if he was planning on being in public, clothes I’d hope.” Ven reached a hand up to run through his hair as he rolled his eyes. “Now you’ve been in here for like an hour.”

“Half hour,” she corrected.

“That’s not any better, and you know what I mean. Why are you over thinking it so much? I mean more than you usually do.”

Aqua leaned back against the sink, crossing her arms against her chest. “It’s just…different. And I know it shouldn’t be different but I’m nervous to go and see someone I’ve seen nearly every day my whole life.”

“Well, it is different in a way,” Ven shrugged. “And not at the same time.”

Aqua furrowed her forehead. “What do you mean?”

“Different in the way you two finally acknowledged what the rest of us already knew.” There was that smug grin again. “And the same as in my eyes you guys’ve been practically married for as long as I’ve known you.”

She felt heat rise to her cheeks. “Ventus,” she said but had zero follow up for it.

“So there’s a different label, so instead of us leaving you alone so you guys can hang out it’s us leaving you alone so you can have a date night. Neither of you have actually changed so I don’t see what the big deal is.”

She felt a smile pull at her lips. Aqua leaned over to reach up and pinch his cheek. “When did you get so wise?”

Ven smiled but this time it was genuine. “Learned from the best.”

Her heart swelled with both a sense of pride and a little bit of a sharp prick. She assumed it was almost like having the realization your child was growing up fast.

“Now, go,” he said, reaching up to push at her a little. “I already kicked him out of the castle.”

“Okay, okay,” she said, finally heading to the door.

Ven followed, probably to make sure she actually went, but went straight down a hall instead of going to the main staircase.  He turned to wave to her, giving that usual goofy smile of his before heading into the open door at the end of the hallway.

It was an extension of the library Aqua knew well. It used to be quiet but now she could hear Kairi’s laugh as Sora told some dramatic story to the room, periodically having to suffer from Lea’s snarky interruptions and Riku’s teasing on the factual evidence of whatever story it was.

Part of Aqua missed the days when it was just the three of them, but she also loved seeing her home so bright and full of energy again, to see Ven be around other kids who loved his presence as much as she did. Knowing if she popped her head in to make sure they were okay Ven probably would walk her outside herself she headed to the front doors, stepping out into the warm air.

Despite knowing he was right, that really nothing had changed save for a few more known feelings she still couldn’t stop her heart from being stuck in her throat as she walked the familiar path down to the small lake. The sun had already set but lanterns lit the path, the moon high above. It was just hard not to feel like she was still fourteen years old with an impossible crush on her best friend.

They were way past that stage at this point, but at the same time this seemed all so new and unfamiliar. It shouldn’t because it really was just Terra, but it wasn’t at the same time. She supposed outside of going to bed it was the first time they were really alone together.

Aqua could see the back of his head, already sitting on the bench they set up near the shore. He was leaning forward both elbows on his knees as he watched the lake ripple under the wind. She kept walking till she was closer to the bench but he seemed to already know she was there as he hastily sat up.

“Hey,” he said, though his voice sounded a little breathless.

“Hey,” Aqua responded, sitting down next to him. He was still wearing the clothes she saw him in last, though she hadn’t been able to change either so clearly it didn’t go well for either of them. “I’d ask you how your day was but I was there the whole time.”

He snorted and shook his head a little but he didn’t say anything. There was an odd kinda tension between them, like neither really knew what to say even though there was never a day they didn’t know how to talk to each other.

“The kids okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, they were goofing off in the library when I left them.”

Terra’s hands were fidgeting in his lap a little, a nervous habit of his, heels tapping lightly on the ground. It was like she didn’t even know how to start a casual conversation with him which was the dumbest thing she had ever heard. This was dumb, all of this was.

So dumb in fact that she felt herself start to laugh and she couldn’t stop it. Aqua bent over slightly, feeling tears start to form in her eyes.

“Should I be concerned by your sudden fit of hysteria?” Terra asked not really sounding all that concerned.

“This is so stupid,” she breathed, trying to catch her breath.

“You laughing like a maniac, yeah, I’d say so.”

“No.” Aqua reached one hand up to wipe her eyes and the other to gesture between the two of them. “This, us. I mean, I’ve seen you accidentally eat a slug when you were trying to gross me out.”

“Oh, thank you, Aqua, what a perfect time to remind me that happened.”

She started to laugh again but reached over to hit him on the chest. “Come on, tell me the most embarrassing thing you’ve seen me do.”

A smile twitched at his lips. “Just one?”

“Hey, watch it.”

“Alright.” Terra reached a hand up to tap at his chin. “That time you tried to climb a tree in one of your fancy dresses despite Master telling you not to and you ended up ripping the whole thing on the branch but refused to let me help cause you didn’t want me to see your underwear.” He paused, leaning in a little to her. “Your Disney Town underwear.”

She was laughing again but this time as she pushed him away from her. “See? There’s no reason to be nervous.” It was more to herself than to him but he seemed to visibly relax too. Aqua moved a little closer to him so she could rest her head against his shoulder.

Terra caught the hint well enough and dropped his arm over her shoulders, lightly leaning his own head against hers. “I guess I just didn’t know what I was supposed to do, or if I was supposed to get you…I dunno, flowers or something?”

“As long as they don’t have slugs in them.”

He hit his head against hers but only hard enough to make her laugh.

“You don’t have to do anything but be yourself. That’s who I like after all.” She paused for a second. “I suppose I just was so caught up in the way our relationships changed I didn’t know how to act but maybe it hasn’t changed all that much.” Aqua lifted her head to look up at him but found he was already watching her. “Ven said he already felt like we were married for years.”

Terra rolled his eyes. “Well, we do have a home full of teenagers now.”

“Change isn’t so bad.”

“Nah, not so bad.”

Aqua leaned to rest her head against him again, this time nearly all the nerves leaving her stomach. It was still different, yet not at the same time. That weird feeling of being in between the past and the future, but she was beginning to feel it really wasn’t that scary after all.

“Hey,” she said, eyes watching the lake. “Remember when Master told us not to go out on the lake when it was frozen but you insisted it was fine. Then you took one step onto it and fell right in.”

He snorted. “Yeah, keep going why don’t you.”

“And then the time when we played hide and seek in the woods but I couldn’t find you for hours. Come to find out you got stuck in a tree but were too prideful to call for help so you just sulked instead.”

“I will throw you in this lake.”

Aqua tried not to laugh. “The other time you-”

“Alright, I warned you.”

She squeaked a little when Terra really did pick her up. She tried to climb over his shoulder to knock him off balance but it didn’t work. “Terra, if you try I swear I’ll pull you in with me.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

 It was almost a silly thought to think just minutes ago she was worried about what to say to him when now he was still pretending like he was gonna throw her in the lake (she hoped for his sake he was pretending). They weren’t perfect people, some days would probably be harder than others but even as Aqua was trying to climb over him, the closer he got to the water, his laughter in her ears, all the kids safe and sound inside, she couldn’t remember when she was happier.


	7. Giving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Terra/Aqua (plus sweet brot3)  
> Words: 3981  
> Rating: K+

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea why Ven’s are the longest ones I write haha I guess I just like the banter I write with him. Like the previous one with Ven, this one was him and Terra which was so nice to write cause I always really see them like big brother and little brother. They’re so sweet ;-; Also I don’t think they were given official birthdays? So I just took a shot in the dark haha I also don’t know if the wood carving thing for Terra is a Fanon thing or actually in canon somewhere? But I’ve seen it a few times around the fandom and I thought it was really cute :3

 

_en regretted not bringing any shoes with him as he walked down the halls of the castle; or a jacket for that matter. How did it get so cold in here? Well, he supposed being in a stone building as winter started to come in did that._

_He rubbed his hands against his arms as he walked trying to keep himself warm. Maybe he should just go back to his room. It was fairly late, and at least he had blankets there to bundle under but he just didn’t feel like being locked up in his room. The whole reason he even came out here tonight was to try and see what Aqua and Terra were doing since neither where in their room. Ven hadn’t seen them since dinner which wasn’t completely unusual but that didn’t mean he didn’t wanna find them._

_He had peaked out at the training grounds first but neither were there. Aqua wasn’t much of a surprise considering she got colder easier than he did but the cold never seemed to bother Terra too much; it did mean they were both probably somewhere in the castle. Ven checked the area their rooms were in which left…the rest of the whole castle._

_This place was overwhelming when he first came here. It was massive, like it never ended. He eventually learned where all the rooms where, the best places to sneak food, and the best quiet places. He smiled to himself; it was obvious which one of his friends taught him what. Ven didn’t even really mind being alone cause he knew they did too sometimes, but it was just so cold out tonight. It was easier to bear with someone to keep you company._

_When the hall ended, he could head down into the main wing where Master probably was but there also was the chance there were guests visiting too and Ven was barefoot and in his pajamas. It was probably safer to go the other way for now._

_It was fairly dark, none of the lights were on but that didn’t mean anything. Sometimes Terra did that to make people think he wasn’t there. Ven followed the hallway knowing it would eventually lead to the library, a few smaller research rooms along the way. He wasn’t sure if Terra was back here or not considering it was practically pitch black at this point. Ven was about to turn around when he felt the air get a little warmer. Shivers went down his spine at the sudden warmth as he tried to find where it was coming from._

_He peered at the floor while he walked until he saw light flicker in the crack of one of the doors. He reached for the doorknob carefully turning it so he could crack the door open. It took a moment for Ven to realize all the lights were off in the library and that the flickering light was coming from the fireplace. The fire casted moving shadows over the rows and rows of books, making it look a little haunting in a way but the warmth and smell of burning wood was comforting. Did he mention it was warm? So warm. Ven stepped in, closing the door behind him before making his way over to the small sitting area near the fireplace._

_Terra was there, sitting on the floor in front of a couch, his legs crossed in front of him as he fidgeted with something in his hand that Ven couldn’t see. He almost didn’t wanna interrupt Terra, he looked so focused but Ven was also freezing and there was a pile of blankets on the couch behind Terra._

_“Knock, knock,” Ven said as he walked closer to the carpeted area of the library._

_Terra didn’t look very surprised when he looked which told Ven he probably wasn’t that quiet when he came in. “Hey, Ven, what’s up?”_

_“Nothing,” he shrugged but didn’t waste any time jumping over the back of the couch to flop down on the cushions. “Just didn’t feel like being in my room.”_

_Terra turned his head to arch an eyebrow. “And that fact you’re practically shivering has nothing to do with it?”_

_“I have no idea how you do it.” Ven reached over to grab one of the blankets; it was soft and fluffy which meant it was probably Aqua’s she left in here. He draped it over his shoulders and let it cover his body. “It gets too cold.”_

_“It can I suppose. I was using the fire more for light than anything.”_

_Ven let the warm from both the blanket and the crackling fire warm him up as a smile pulled at his lips. This was so much better. He leaned down towards Terra a little. “Why’re you sitting in here in the dark anyways?”_

_He reached up to push Ven’s head away making him laugh. “So people wouldn’t bother me.”_

_While at one point it might’ve made him feel like he had to leave, Ven had learned him and Aqua were usually Terra’s exceptions when he said “people”. Terra was usually quiet, more calm and subdued. He liked to be alone, away from crowds of people._

_Ven was admittedly a little scared of Terra at first. He wasn’t that much older than Ven was but Terra was nearly a head and shoulders taller with sharp facial features and a powerful fighting style. He was very intimidating yet Ven quickly learned Terra was as gentle as Aqua was, even if he showed it in different ways. Aqua used to tell Ven not to be afraid, that Terra was really a big teddy bear. Ven thought it was an absurd comparison at first but now it was so easy to see there was never anything to be afraid of when he was with Terra. Well, Ven didn’t have anything to fear, he wasn’t sure about anyone who had to face Terra down._

_“Where’s Aqua?” Ven asked, leaning his head back against the couch._

_“Not sure.” Terra went back to looking at whatever was in his hands. “She’s like you though so I’m surprised she didn’t find the fire going yet.”_

_Ven almost offered to go find her but he figured if she wanted to find them, she would’ve already. Plus he was getting feeling back in his toes and he wasn’t about to just let that go._

_It was quiet for the moment, just the sound of the wind through one of the windows behind them, the wood burning and some chipping noise, almost rhythmic in a way. It took Ven a moment of focusing on it to realize it was Terra. Ven leaned over the brunette’s shoulder, seeing the half carved block of wood and knife in his hands._

_“What’re you doing?”_

_Terra paused, looking over to Ven. “Why’re you so nosey tonight?”_

_“Dunno, why’re you so secretive?”_

_Terra snorted but he didn’t say anything again. Ven just figured Terra wasn’t actually gonna say, he was like that sometimes. He was private in a way, some things he kept close to his heart and away from even Aqua or Ven. He couldn’t pretend he knew why, but he always figured Terra had his reasons._

_“Did Aqua tell you her birthday is coming up?”_

_“Huh? What?” Ven had just leaned back against the couch only to sit up quickly again._

_“Figures,” Terra said. “She’ll make you an entire cake on yours and get you as many presents as she can but she doesn’t ever want anyone to remember hers.”_

_That actually sounded about right._

_“Selfless to a fault,” he said, though his voice sounded a little bit distant that time._

_“Is that what you’re doing?” Ven asked, suddenly realizing why Terra went out of his way to make sure no one knew he was here. “Is it for her?”_

_“Supposed to be,” he said, holding up the piece of wood so Ven could see it better. “But it’s been a long time, I’m a little rusty.”_

_“I didn’t even know you did that,” Ven said though he quickly realized there were probably a lot of things he didn’t know._

_Terra shrugged, letting his hands fall into his lap. “I used to when I was younger, as a way to pass time that wasn’t reading every book in this library…again.”_

_Ven snorted which didn’t seem to do anything to mask his disbelief since Terra turned towards him with an eyebrow arched._

_“Watch it, kiddo, I’m the one with the knife.”_

_Ven leaned back against the couch with small snicker, knowing there was no way Terra would actually hurt him. “Why not just buy her something if you’re having so much trouble.”_

_Terra rested his head on the couch cushion behind him. He was still looking off at the fireplace but Ven could see the older boy’s face better. “Aqua is very easy to buy for as she’ll like anything you give her just cause she likes the thought that you thought of her.”_

_That sounded like Aqua too._

_“But if you really wanna see her happy then you make her something.” Terra wiggled the piece of wood between his fingers. “Nothing makes her face light up more than a gift that came from your heart.” He cleared his throat a little, eyes looking back over the first. “She’s sappy like that.”_

_Ven leaned in to try and see if the carving looked familiar at all. “What were you trying to carve for her?”_

_“I’m not sure exactly.” Terra shrugged. “I just kinda thought it would come to me.”_

_“Well, that’s dumb.”_

_That time Terra turned all the way around to face the couch, an amused look on his face. “Are you telling me my idea is dumb?”_

_“Yes,” Ven said. To be fair, he didn’t know too much about art and he supposed sometimes that could work but if making something for Aqua was as special to her as Terra made it seem then he shouldn’t just aimlessly hope he got an idea._

_“Alright, tell me your grand gift giving idea then.”_

_“Easy.” Ven gestured to Terra’s hands. “Don’t just think about whatever and hope you get an idea. Think about the things that she likes, what makes her happy. Like…” Ven paused, thinking for a moment. “Oh! Like I know she really likes that flower that grows down in front of the castle.”_

_“Iris,” Terra said. “Yeah, she’s always liked those flowers.”_

_“Yeah, like that.” Ven nodded. “I bet if you think about the things that remind you of her, you’ll think of something real good and she’ll really love it.”_

_Terra didn’t say anything for a moment but he reached a hand up to rub at Ven’s head, messing up his hair and making him laugh. “You’re pretty smart sometimes, Ventus.”_

_He pushed Terra’s hand away, though Ven was still laughing. “Seriously, only sometimes?”_

* * *

Out of all the worlds, Aqua still had to pick one that was cold. Ven huffed into his scarf, hands crammed into the front pockets of his jacket. It was cold back home. Why couldn’t they go shopping, dunno, maybe somewhere with a tropical beach? No, when he tried to suggest it he was shot down with one look and Terra was useless, he just went along with whatever.

Ven didn’t think “it’s the holidays, it’s supposed to be cold” was much coming from a woman who got cold just as much as he did.

The wind bit through the market place, making his ears sting even though he tried to wear a hat that covered them a little bit. That was another thing. Why on already cold world, did they have an outdoor market place? Okay sure, it was pretty busy and all the body heat helped some, and yeah, maybe it was a little pretty all done up with lights and decorations for the holidays. It smelt delicious too; there was lots of cinnamon and spices, peppermint and….was that fresh pie? Oh man, now he was starving. Maybe if he could find the booth, he knew some pie would warm him up in no time.

A hand shoved into his shoulder, making him stumble a little but not enough to catch him off balance. “Stop looking so grim.”

“Says you,” Ven snorted looking over to Terra who was perfectly fine just wearing a jacket. He had the scarf Aqua made him take resting on his shoulders but it wasn’t wrapped around him at all, unlike Ven who thought his fingers might fall off. “You could probably walk barefoot in the snowstorm and be perfectly fine.”

“I don’t think that’s true.”

Ven knew it was partly because of their different body types. While he found himself catching up in height lately and even putting on more muscle from all the training he got put through on a daily basis with the rest of the kids, he was always a little scrawny he knew. Even now he’d probably always have a lean build that didn’t take to absorbing the cold quite as much as Terra apparently.

Another breeze blew through the row of booths and right through every layer Ven was wearing. He tried not to visibly shiver but he knew he didn’t hide it well when Terra snorted in laughter.

“I’m going back to wait inside the nearest building.” Ven turned to really leave but Terra grabbed the back of Ven’s jacket before he could.

“Not so fast. You haven’t bought anything.”

Ven huffed but turned back around to keep walking with Terra. “Neither have you.”

“That’s why I’m still walking.”

Ven knew Terra probably didn’t really wanna be here either, it’s not like the both of them were avid shoppers. It was more Aqua wanted them to be here so they were. If him and Ven had one thing in common it would be that they always liked to make her happy; even if that meant spending the day freezing his ass off while trying to pick out gifts for people.

They never used to do anything too big for the holidays; just a few decorations, a nice dinner, and they’d all give each other one gift. This was the first holiday season since their lives become normal again though (well, as much as normal could get for them), so Ven supposed he understood why Aqua was trying to make it a little larger than usual. They also had more people staying with them, all of whom probably had their own traditions or not any at all; Ven honestly didn’t know, his only knowledge of it was what they used to do with Master Eraqus.

It actually was nice having so many more bodies in the castle. There was almost always something to do now or someone to hang out with. While Ven loved Aqua and Terra and they remained to be the two people he was closest to it was also kinda nice to have people around who were closer to his age (the age he counted himself at in the least). Especially now that Aqua and Terra were even more so of each other’s constant companions, Ven liked to leave them alone when he could.

That being said, he was glad Aqua just had it be the three of them this time, leaving the others at home giving them some sort of lesson in responsibility (one Ven was sure some would ace and some maybe not as much). It might be a little overwhelming to be here with so many people. It was nice for it to be just them, well, Terra considering Aqua scurried off when they got here.

“Alright,” Ven clapped his hands together, but instantly regretted pulling them out of his jacket when the cold wind blew again. “Let’s do this. First things first, Aqua’s birthday is first. What’re you getting her?”

Terra arched an eyebrow. “What does it matter?”

“It’s kinda why we’re here.”

“I know that, kid.” Terra nudged his shoulder into Ven, bumping him slightly. “What’re you getting her then?”

“I have no idea.”

Terra snorted, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. “We’re obviously real good at this. I dunno why she left us alone.”

“Probably to make us do it on our own.” Yeah, that sounded like Aqua.

They walked in silence for a moment as the squeezed through a small crowed to round the corner into the next aisle. How big was this place? Ven felt like he had been walking for ages.

“What about jewelry?” Ven asked, gesturing to a fairly crowded booth as they started down the aisle.

Terra looked a little confused. “Why? She never wears any.”

That was true enough. “Okay, how about new clothes?”

“Would you like to try and pick out clothes for her?”

“Good point. Ummm…” Ven scanned over the aisle though he smelt it before he even saw it. There were those pies again. “Food? I bet she’d love one of those fresh pies.

“Considering it wouldn’t be very fresh by the time her birthday comes around I’m pretty sure that would be for you, not for her.”

“You’re zero help, I hope you know that.”

Terra laughed, his breath coming out in puffs of fog, only reminding Ven of how cold he was and how warm those pies looked. “It’s your gift, Ven, not mine.”

“Yeah, but you don’t know what you’re getting her either.”

Terra was usually fairly passive unless he was training or fighting, but sometimes he got this glint in his eyes, a sort of smug smile on his lips. Whenever it happened, Ven had a feeling he was getting a look at a much younger Terra, one who wasn’t quite as controlled as the person Ven knew now. This was one of those times. “I already bought her present.”

“Are you kidding me!” Ven reached his hands forward to hit his fists against Terra’s arm, which didn’t do anything considering he was laughing. “You said you didn’t!”

“No, I said why does it matter what I have or haven’t done.”

“You’re the absolute worst.”

Terra swung his arm around Ven’s neck, tugging him in till he hit Terra’s side. Ven weakly tried to get away but he knew without engaging in an actual fight it was hopeless, which he didn’t actually wanna do. He really wasn’t mad, but now he really had no idea what to get her. At least he felt some kinda hope when he thought Terra didn’t either.

“It has to come from your heart, Ven.” Terra leaned in a little as he kept walking, poking Ven in the chest some. “Not mine.”

He stuck his tongue out a little, making a disgusted face. “Gods, I hope not. I don’t think I wanna give her the same things you do.”

Terra snorted but he reached up to rub at Ven’s head, making his hat slide off a little. He adjusted it some when Terra let go; more like shoved it down over all the blond hair that started to poke out.

It wasn’t always that hard. Ven felt like he used to know exactly what to get Aqua whenever he wanted to give her anything but this time was different. He was all too well aware of everything she sacrificed for him, for Terra. How can you say thank you to someone who suffered just to keep you safe?

Ven’s mood must’ve visibly dropped because this time Terra placed a hand on Ven’s shoulder.

“You know she’d love anything you gave her.”

“Yeah, I know,” he shrugged. “But that’s not what I want. I want it to be something special after everything…well, you know.”

“Yeah, I know but so does she. I promise.”

Ven supposed Terra did know better in that regard. Even if he thought he was hiding it well enough, Ven knew sometimes Terra still felt guilty for what was done to him, for what it caused Aqua to do. Yet here they all were, together doing something as meaningless as shopping. If there was one thing Ven did learn is that “meaningless” wasn’t a word. Nothing was meaningless when you never thought you’d have your life back.

“Alright,” Ven said. He turned his head to give Terra a smile to let him know it was okay but something cause Ven’s eye instead. It was small, in the corner of a booth near were Terra was but it was enough to see it.

Ven walked over to the booth, other ornaments glittering around him in the sun but he reached his hand out to the only star shaped one. It reminded him so much of his own charm, the one he kept hanging in his room, a constant reminder of the people who loved him. She took her time to make him something to always remember their friendship, to tie them all together.

“You wanna get her it?” Terra asked, though Ven hadn’t even heard the brunette come up.

“Nah,” Ven said, turning away from the booth. “I’m gonna make her something.”

Terra gave a somewhat knowing nod. “Good choice.”

“There you guys are.”

Both Terra and Ven turned their heads to the sound of Aqua’s voice. She wasn’t too far away and already walking over to them, still bundled in her jacket, scarf and hat. She was also smart and brought gloves, though he could barely see them due to all the bags in her hands.

“Gods, Aqua, did you leave anything for all these other people?” Ven snorted.

“Apparently I had to buy for all of us, did you get anything?” she said, Terra already reaching a hand out to take the bags from one of her hands.

“Well, maybe if we went shopping somewhere I could feel my fingers I might’ve.” Ven grinned at her letting her know he was only teasing.

Aqua looked like she was gonna tell him exactly why they were here and not the beach but Terra leaned down to kiss her, significantly distracting her. Ven would have to thank Terra for that one, even if it was kinda like watching his parents kiss.

“Oh, neither of you are getting off that easy,” she breathed though she was still looking at Terra. He didn’t say anything but huffed a little too dramatically for him to be actually serious.

“C’mon, both of you.” She nodded towards the rest of the market and Ven wondered if he’d ever have feeling in his body again

Terra took her free hand, lacing his fingers between hers as he swung the bags in his other hand over his shoulder. Aqua easily fell into step next to him, leaning a bit probably as he was warmer than she was. Ven didn’t know too much about true love or soul mates or anything like that, but looking at them he thought that might be it.

He hurried to catch up, coming up next to Aqua who almost instantly reached up to tuck some of his unruly hair back under his hat.

“Don’t look so grim, Ven,” she said, a sort of knowing smile on her lips. “There’s a booth around the corner that sells hot chocolate, I already have one bought and waiting for you.”

Her words were music to his ears. “Oh gods, you’re an actual angel.”

“What about me?” Terra asked, tilting his head above Aqua’s so Ven could see him.

“Eh, you’re okay.”

“Aqua, I hope there’s nothing fragile in these bags cause I’m probably gonna hit him.”

“Stop it,” she said, but she was laughing.

It was freezing outside, he couldn’t feel his fingers or toes, he still had to buy presents for people and yet he was never happier. He didn’t wanna even take the smallest things for granted.

Ven would make sure he got the two of them the best present he could possibly think of.

 

 

 

 

 


	8. Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Terra/Aqua  
> Rating: K+  
> Words:  3376

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one wasn’t always gonna be what it became haha but I really do like how it came out considering even happiness and bright futures can’t always erase our deepest fears. Plus they’re both hella stubborn you know they’d still bicker, it would just end a little better now lmao

 

_They were supposed to be reading while Master was out for a quick call but the sun was shining through the windows of the library and all Terra wanted to do was go play outside for a while.  He groaned and looked back down at the book laid out on the table in front of him. It was some boring book about history and while it was nice it had pictures to look at, he still had to read it and he just really didn’t wanna._

_Terra turned his head to see if Aqua was doing what she was told, which of course she was. What else was new? She was sitting in the bench by the window, her legs pulled up to her chest as she propped her book in front of them, her stuffed cat held firmly under her arm._

_“Why did you drag that all the way here?” he asked._

_She didn’t look up from her book. “What?”_

_“The cat, why did you bring it all the way here?” Terra gestured to the stuffed animal._

_That time Aqua did look up. “Dunno, I just wanted her here.”_

_Terra arched an eyebrow. “Aren’t you a little old to carry a stuffed animal around?” Okay, well, maybe not, she was seven but still, he didn’t even have any stuffed animals anymore._

_“No,” she said firmly, though a little defensively. “I don’t think so.”_

_“I do.”_

_“I don’t care what you think.”_

_That was a lie; he heard the waver in her tone. Terra stood up, the chair scraping slightly against the wood as he did._

_“You’re supposed to be reading,” Aqua said in her know it all voice. Maybe she didn’t mean it, but it grated on him a little bit._

_He walked over to where she was sitting and while she didn’t look mad she did look a little annoyed. “Can I see it?”_

_“See what?” Though she must’ve known because she turned her body slightly towards the stuffed cat._

_Terra didn’t answer; he just reached over to grab at it, the soft fur making it easy to slid out from her grasp._

_“Terra!” she exclaimed, scrambling to reach after it._

_He knew it was wrong. Master always taught him to ask first and respect the answer given to him. Should she had answered she would’ve said no, but he still held the cat out of her reach when she tried to grab it back. He almost couldn’t stop himself, like there was this buzz in his head telling him to keep going. “Why?”_

_“Because she’s mine, please!” Aqua dropped her book to the floor, standing up to come after him._

_He was only a year older but he was still a little taller than her so it was easy to hold it above his head. “I just wanna see it.”_

_“No, please, give her back!” Aqua started to get that whine in her voice, like she did when she was upset._

_It would’ve been easy to just hand it back, he honestly didn’t know why he didn’t. Maybe he was bored, or maybe he just wanted to see her sweat some more._

_“Nope, come and get it first.” He turned to quickly come back the way he came though Aqua was after him in no time. Terra always forgot how fast she was._

_To get away he jumped up on one of the chairs, climbing up onto the long table that sat in the center of the library. It was for reading and work, not to stand up on but he did it anyways, holding Aqua’s stuffed animal above his head._

_She hesitated on the ground, clearly weighing the odds between getting her cat back and breaking the rules._

_“What? Too scared?” he taunted, sticking his tongue out at her._

_Aqua frowned, her eyes narrowing. Apparently it worked because she climbed up on the chair to follow him to the table. Terra started to move to get away from her again but he froze when he saw the chair wobble._

_She had one leg on the table, but the one still on the chair kicked it, causing it to slide on the floor. Terra dropped to his knees to try and grab her before she fell but it was too late. He watched her fall backwards onto the ground._

_While it wasn’t that far of a fall, she fell on the chair which slid with her on the ground and caused her to hit the back of her head on the side of a bookshelf._

_“Aqua!” Terra called. He knew he should jump down after her but he couldn’t move, he was frozen watching her._

_She looked a little dazed at first but she reached a hand behind her head to touch wherever she had hit the shelf. When she brought her hand back around there was blood on her fingers._

_Terra watched her eyes widen as her lip started to wobble. The tears started to fall onto her cheeks. He didn’t think he had ever felt as terrible in his life as when she stared to cry, small sobs choking her throat._

_“What is going on in here?”_

_Correction. Hearing his master’s voice practically booming in the library made him feel even worse than that. He winced so hard he was pretty sure he shrunk a couple inches._

_Master Eraqus didn’t bother asking anymore questions, he just walked in the room, hurrying over to where Aqua was still on the floor. Even Mast not saying anything was intimidating when he was mad. Terra would’ve rather been underneath the table at this point, an urge to run and hide in his gut. He didn’t, mainly because he was frozen still bent over the table where he tried to catch her._

_“Are you okay, child?” Master asked in a much softer tone._

_Aqua stopped crying a little bit, clearly feeling a little more comforted now that Master was here. “It hurts,” she mumbled, reaching to the back of her head again._

_Master Eraqus held the front of her head as he carefully looked for the cut through her hair. “Ah, there it is. It’s not as bad as it feels, I promise.” His keyblade materialized so quickly Terra barely saw it happen. He could see the familiar light of a healing spell. “How’s that?”_

_She sniffled, reaching up to wipe at her eyes. “Better.”_

_“Good.” The weapon was gone again and Master held his hand out to help her to his feet. Yet his usual gentleness was gone when he stood up and turned back to face the table. “Do you care to explain what happened, Terra?”_

_He winced again. “Do I have to?”_

_“Oh, I wouldn’t push your luck right now.” Master gestured for Terra to get off the table which he did quickly, the cat still in his hand. “Do you want to explain or would you like me to guess?”_

_“No,” Terra mumbled, eyes dropping to the ground, finding he couldn’t meet his master’s gaze or Aqua’s either. “I was teasing her and she fell trying to get her stuffed animal back.”_

_“Her stuffed animal you took without asking, am I correct?”_

_“I asked,” Terra started looking up, but Master Eraqus arched an eyebrow. The look on his face made Terra glance away again. “I just didn’t wait for an answer. But I…” He bit at his lip, feeling stupid hot tears in his eyes. “I didn’t want her to get hurt. I was just playing.”_

_“It doesn’t matter what we intended, little one, it’s what our actions and words cause that matter.”_

_Terra could see Master Eraqus bend over towards Terra’s height, a finger under his chin to lift his gaze back up._

_“That’s not how we treat our friends is it?”_

_“No, Master.”_

_“I know you can behave better than that.”_

_Terra nodded, blinking away some of the water in his eyes._

_Master stood up again, placing both his hands behind his back. “Do you have something you’d like to say to Aqua, Terra?”_

_She was standing slightly behind Master’s legs, watching Terra with her big eyes. She didn’t look afraid or even mad._

_Terra took a step towards her, reaching his hand out to give her back her stuffed animal. “Sorry, Aqua.”_

_She took the cat from him and hugged it to her chest. “It’s okay.”_

_“You know that means I have to send you to your room till dinner?” Master Eraqus said but Terra did already know._

_He nodded as his shoulders slumped._

_“Master?” Aqua was tugging at his robe. “Does Terra have to? He didn’t mean for me to get hurt, he tried to grab me before I fell.”_

_Terra figured Master would shoot her down, well, considering it still was because Terra wasn’t being nice to her but instead Master smiled and reached down to ruffle her hair slightly._

_“If you think he should go unpunished then this time I’ll allow it.”_

_Terra could only stare at the both of them in disbelief. He wasn’t getting punished?_

_“Should we go back to reading?” Aqua asked._

_“No, not right now at least,” Master said. “Why don’t you go downstairs and get yourself and Terra a snack, hmm?”_

_“Okay!” Aqua was still holding her stuffed animal to her chest as she hurried out of the library. “I won’t get you anything too sweet, Terra!” She was gone before he could even answer._

_“Terra.” Master’s voice didn’t sound mad, but it was firm enough to make Terra jump as he turned around._

_“Yes, Master?”_

_“I want you take one very important lesson from this.”_

_“Don’t take things without asking?”_

_Master smiled as he placed his hand down on Terra’s shoulder. “Friends like her are very hard to come by. Don’t ever take that for granted.”_

_Terra didn’t exactly know what his master meant, but Terra was pretty sure it boiled down to Aqua was special. He didn’t really know why, but that he could understand. “Okay. I won’t.”_

* * *

It was finally starting to warm up again, but the early morning was still bitter as the sun was rising, the wind cutting. Terra only noticed it because his breath came out in puffs of fog when he paused to finally breathe.

He couldn’t even count how many times he had gone through the outdoor training course now or how long he had even been out here. He couldn’t sleep nor did he want to be inside so he came out here. It was the only place he always felt like he could clear his mind, or distract him enough to forget what was on his mind. Honestly, he’d take either.

Terra reached a hand up to wipe some of the sweat off his forehead, his training clothes blowing slightly in the wind. It probably wouldn’t be too much longer before the sun started to rise, when someone would notice he was missing.

He gripped his hand around the handle of his keyblade. Not before he got some more work done though.

“Mind if I join?”

Terra paused, cursing under his breath that he didn’t actually hear her come up behind him. He turned his head to see Aqua standing a little ways away but walking closer. She was wearing training clothes of her own and not pajamas like she had been when he left; which meant she didn’t happen to find him but that she knew where he was the whole time. It shouldn’t have surprised him honestly.

A part of him wanted to tell her to leave, that he knew what she was doing. Yet there were few things he hated more than arguing with Aqua, and after a day full of doing nothing but arguing with her he just didn’t care.

“Sure,” he said, turning to face her fully.

Her keyblade had barely materialized in her hand before she was coming towards him but it didn’t matter, he was already ready to block her attack. He pushed her back and went after her side but she was already there to block him, causing him to spin off to her back. As usual she left nothing open, moving like she was dancing on the air.

Sparing with her was different than it was with anyone else. Usually he only ever did it with any of the kids to teach them form and technique or Sora, who overenthusiastically challenged Terra to a fight at least once every few weeks. It wasn’t easy so to speak, cause all those kids were tough as nails and quick learners. They always kept him on his feet.

With Aqua though, it was like almost coming home. It was familiar, safe. He knew how she thought, how she moved, how she fought and she knew him, inside and out. She especially knew when he was distracted as he realized too late, a hit to his side, sending him onto his back.

Terra grit his teeth as he pushed himself up onto his elbows; not because she got a hit on him, it wasn’t the first and it wasn’t the last, but because she won her chance to speak. He wasn’t sure when they started confronting each other like this during arguments but it was this was for as long as he could remember.

Aqua stood near him, her blade still in her hands but she wouldn’t look at him. She instead stared off at the castle. “Why won’t you take the exam.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Why does it matter,” he grunted, though he already knew the answer to that.

When she turned her head to he expected her to be mad. She’d been furious with him all day after he told her he wasn’t going but instead her eyes were sad. It made him feel worse.

“I thought it’s what you wanted. You told me you still wanted it.”

He could blow her off. Terra knew if he walked away now she wouldn’t follow but that wouldn’t only be hurting him, but it would hurt her too. She wasn’t just Aqua the girl he grew up with, the girl who was his closest friend, this was the girl he shared his life with now. They were the adults, they were they adults now in a house full of kids who looked up to them. Ventus’ teasing habit of calling them mom and dad had spread to the others too and while Terra normally told them to shut their mouths, in a way…in a very weird way it was true. He was an adult with a job and a role; he couldn’t run away from this or from her.

“I do,” he relented, pushing himself up all the way so he could sit. He let his keyblade vanish, trying to look a little less aggressive than he felt.

“Then why aren’t you doing just that?”

“You know why,” Terra snapped harder than he probably should’ve. He took a breath, trying to even his voice. “Aqua, you were there. You know why.”

Her face softened as she probably realized it wasn’t that he didn’t want to but that he was scared and too much of a damn coward to admit it. “It won’t be like that this time.”

It was a nice thought, but that didn’t mean it was reality. “You don’t know that, how could you possibly know. Yeah, sure, I’d hope some super villain wouldn’t be there manipulating all of us but it’s still me, and I was the one who failed the first time.”

Her keyblade vanished from her hand as she turned to face him, the moonlight shining on the face he knew so well. “Maybe,” she said. “Maybe it was all you, maybe it was because of someone pulling the strings, maybe it was some of both. Wouldn’t you rather know?”

Terra crossed his arms against his chest. “Know what?”

That time she gave him a smile, probably the first time all day; maybe she wasn’t as mad anymore since he actually let her talk about it. “Know that it was never who you were, that you can very well pass on your own or that there are still things you need to work on. I know you can pass, I think you’re doubting yourself more than you ever need to.”

He felt frustration start to swirl in the pit of his stomach. He always loved how much of an optimist Aqua was, he did, but right now it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “Well, I’m glad you do, but I don’t.”

She sighed, her hand s falling limply to her sides. “What do you want me to say? ‘Okay, go ahead and stay where you are forever’? Because I think you’re better than that.”

He clenched his jaw. “Maybe I don’t, it’s my choice, isn’t it?”

“Gods, Terra, what the hell is your problem?” Aqua threw her hands up, a clear indication she was beyond frustrated with him; not the first time and still probably not that least. “Why are you being so stubborn? You wanted this, you told me so I arraigned it. What happened?”

He wasn’t sure what broke inside of him but something did. “Because I can’t let them down.” He threw his hand out towards the castle hoping she got the idea. “I can’t let you down. How the hell am I supposed to come back here explain to you, to Ven, to those kids who look at me like I’m something special, that I’m really just all the things I ever thought about myself. That I failed everyone again.”

“Terra.” Her voice was so firm it surprised him, though it shouldn’t have. Aqua was quiet and calm, but she was her own force to be reckoned with. “You will always fail if you never even try.”

He sighed, reaching a hand up to run through his hair. It was like all his anger just kinda fizzled out to nothing, just leaving him feeling more helpless than anything. “What am I supposed to do if I try and I still fail? What am I supposed to say?”

Aqua was quiet for a moment. She leaned over so she was a little closer to his eye level. “Then you say you’re a human being who still needs more to learn. There’s no shame in that. Ven, those kids, they adore you it won’t make me or any else think any less of you. You’re not the only one here who didn’t pass on the first try.”

Terra snorted. “I don’t know if Sora counts. He has an inhuman amount of determination.”

Aqua rolled her eyes but she still smiled at him. “What do you say then?”

The easy answer was no, to hide behind excuses and fears, but he also knew it probably wasn’t the right answer. He knew from past experiences sometimes his gut reaction wasn’t the best for himself or the people he loved.

“Alright,” he sighed. “I’ll try.”

“Oh, thank the gods,” she breathed, suddenly dropping her firm stance. It was only really then he could see the goosebumps on her skin, the way she shivered slightly. “It’s freezing out here, can we please go back inside.”

It was a simple thing, just her keeping her mouth shut about being cold until what needed to get said was said. She always sacrificed a lot for him, sometimes scarified herself. It was probably about time he did the same for her.

She reached her hand down to help him up to his feet, more out of courtesy than his actual need for help. So it was more than a little easy to grab a hold of her hand and pull her off her balance till she fell into him with a small squeak.

“Terra,” she groaned, hitting him on his shoulders when he had her securely in his lap. “Not everyone can keep as warm as you somehow do.”

“Yeah, I know.”

She looked like she was gonna argue some more so he tilted his head into kiss her. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her in against him. When she kissed him back, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt, he figured she didn’t have any other complaints.

 


	9. Paternal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Terra/Aqua  
> Rating: K  
> Words: 4140

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one that ended up vastly different than I originally intended lmao I wrote the memory and then started the present part and went OH YOU KNOW WHAT haha One of my favorite tropes for female characters is that super badass lady who don’t need anyone to be who they are but they still have this sweet maternal way about them. I love mama Aqua, you can see it so easily in the way she interacts with Ven and the other kids. I just thought it was a sweet idea for her to secretly enjoy the thought of children herself (and in turn getting flustered over the idea lmao)

_Aqua loved her home very much; she wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else but she absolutely loved it when Master would say the words:_

_“Go on and get ready, we’re leaving in a few minutes.”_

_It always meant they were getting to leave their world, even if just for a few hours. She and Terra would race back to their rooms to change into clothing less appropriate for training and more appropriate for seeing people in. Then they’d race back to docking bay where Terra almost always won, she had no idea how._

_Usually it wasn’t for exciting reasons; normally meetings or formally meeting other masters or people in high ranks. But traveling to new worlds was always exciting. Even standing in front of the ship, Aqua could barely keep a bounce out of her step. Terra seemed a little calmer as he stood next to her, his arms crossed against his chest. She looked up at him to see his eyes looking out at the new area but before she could follow his gaze something caught her off guard._

_When did he get so tall?_

_Aqua swore just the other day they were even heights. Yeah sure she knew he was fourteen now, but still._

_“I want you both to be on your best behavior,” Master told them, drawing their attention back to him. “I have to be in a meeting for a little bit so I’m letting the two of you have your free time in town until I’m done.”_

_Aqua tried not to let out an audible noise but judging by the way Terra snorted in laughter it didn’t work super well._

_“But…” Master Eraqus held up one finger. “That doesn’t mean you’re not being watched, so behave and try not to cause any trouble.”_

_“Us? Master, how could you think such things?” Terra asked, feigning such innocence Aqua rolled her eyes._

_“Us?” Master Eraqus arched an eyebrow. “Don’t lump Aqua in, I was talking to you.”_

_Terra’s shoulders slumped but she knew he wasn’t actually upset. “Harsh.”_

_Master chuckled as he reached to ruffle Terra’s hair. “Go on now, stay together and be safe.”_

_Aqua couldn’t hold in it any longer, she ran past them heading towards the town before she turned to jog backwards. “C’mon, Terra, don’t be so slow!”_

_There was a glint in his eyes that she knew all too well. He couldn’t ever resist a challenge. “Slow? Excuse me?” He was already chasing after her when she turned to run again._

_Master might’ve called something after them but Aqua honestly didn’t hear what it was, she was already skidding to a stop onto the main street of the town, Terra not too far behind her._

_“Told you not to be slow,” she said as she turned around to face him, hands victoriously placed on her hips._

_“You had a head start,” he said._

_She laughed a little but turned back around to look at the busy street in front of them. People were going about their daily lives, running errands, shopping, cleaning, getting from one place to another.  Aqua’s world was so quiet all the time; it was always exhilarating to be in a world so bustling with people and things to do._

_She didn’t even realize she was staring until Terra started to walk a head. Despite how happy she felt, her heart started to sink at seeing his retreating back. He was her best friend, and yet lately he had been taking more time to himself, running off on his own without her. She always tried to not let it bother her, knowing she had stronger feelings for him than he probably had for her but that didn’t mean it still didn’t hurt. It made her feel like she was losing the one person who meant the world to her._

_Aqua hurried to catch up. She knew they were told to stay together but she didn’t want him to feel like he had to spend time with her. As much as it made her want to cry on a public street surrounded by strangers she had to give him the option. “Hey, if you…you know wanna go do something else it’s okay. I mean, I’ll be okay on my own.”_

_Terra turned to her, an amused sort of look on his face. “What? You trying to get rid of me?”_

_“No,” Aqua said, probably more defensively than she needed to. “I just meant…” She honestly had no idea what she meant._

_“It’s fine,” he said, reaching a hand up to push at her head lightly. “Where do you wanna go?”_

_“Umm…” She looked around the area, trying to remember where things were, and trying to ignore the much lighter feeling in her chest. “The overlook.” She pointed forward where she could almost see the cliffs over the vast ocean of this world._

_“Alright,” he said, starting to make his way through the street nearly full of people._

_She followed after him quickly trying to stay by his side, you know, like she was told to do and all but the closer they got to the market place, the harder it was to actually do that. People weren’t being rude but they had places to be and things to do, so pushing themselves between any gaps in the crowd they could probably didn’t seem all that problematic._

_There were vendors calling out their goods, women and men all around moving to get to which booth they wanted to. Some laughter caught her ear, making her turn her head behind them. It was a mother with a little baby wrapped against her chest, her hand holding the much smaller hand of a toddler who was giggling as they walked. It wasn’t unusual Aqua supposed, this was a town full of people but she didn’t see young children very often. Seeing them with their mother who was speaking to the little girl as she gently rubbed the baby’s back, all smiling and happy, made Aqua’s chest feel warm in kinda a weird way._

_She looked back to where she was going and nearly ran into the back of someone. She quickly looked around for Terra but he wasn’t anywhere in sight. One moment she had been walking with him and the next thing she knew she was surrounded by people she didn’t know. They weren’t pushing or anything, just trying to get to the market. She tried to look up to see if she could see his head anywhere but she couldn’t see past the crowd of people._

_She tried to keep moving her way through, kinda remembering the way to the cliffs. She was more than capable enough to get there on her own but she couldn’t stop the sinking feeling in her stomach. Had Terra even noticed she was gone? The answer was probably yes, but also that he knew she could get there on her own and probably went on without her. It was the truth, but it still made her feel stupid._

_Aqua took in a breath and started to maneuver her way through the crowd but before she could get very far a hand grabbed a hold of hers, pulling her through the thick crowd of people. When she finally could breathe again, she saw she was standing on the other end of the street, past the busiest part. Terra’s hand was still holding onto hers and almost unreadable expression on his face._

_Before her face had a chance to heat up over the fact that he was still holding her hand, that he did come back from her, he gave her slight smirk. “You’re getting too short, Aqua, I could barely see you in that crowd.”_

_“I am not getting too short,” she said, using her free hand to hit him in the arm. “You’re too tall, but apparently not tall enough since I couldn’t see you either.”_

_He opened his mouth to respond but he was cut off before he actually could._

_“A flower for your girlfriend?” a flower seller asked, coming up in between them._

_Aqua almost felt her face turn as red as the flower the woman was holding at the implication she was giving. Aqua couldn’t even stutter to deny it, she could only stare and barely be able to glace over at Terra._

_He seemed a little surprised, like he was caught off guard by the question but he recovered far better than she did. “No, thanks,” he said simply. He did let go of her hand, much to her relief and disappointment all rolled up in one, moving his hand to the back of her head to push her slightly. “Keep moving before you get lost again.”_

_“I didn’t get lost,” she grunted, crossing her arms against her chest. “Maybe you got lost.”_

_He snorted but he didn’t say anything else. It didn’t matter too much, because a few moments later Aqua was completely distracted by the ocean._

_She ran the last few feet to the overlook built for people to sit and enjoy the view. She went right up to the railing, kicking her feet in between the bars so she could pull herself up and get a better view over the fence._

_They had a lake and streams back home but it wasn’t the ocean. There was just something about the salt air, the way the waves crashed against the cliffs, the sea foam bubbling on the edge of the water; not to mention the giant waterfall in the distance that poured off a tall cliff, making it loud and soothing._

_There was that laughter again. When Aqua turned her head, she saw that small family again. She watched the little girl climb up into the lap of a man who judging by his happy greeting was her father. He picked her up, swinging her above his head as the woman sat down next to him. He leaned in to kiss her when he placed the toddler in his lap and Aqua quickly turned away._

_Terra eventually caught up, leaning his back against the railing next to her though he didn’t seem too interested in it._

_“Do you not like it?” she asked, her face feeling unusually warm as she could still hear the happy family talking behind them._

_“It’s just water,” he shrugged._

_“It’s not just water. It’s a whole ocean full of water with its own creatures and life system to support them. And it’s pretty, just look at it.” She gestured down to the water rippling in the wind. “It moves like…I dunno, like its dancing or something.”_

_Terra didn’t look towards the water, but he did look at her. She expected some sarcastic response but instead he smiled. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”_

_She gripped her hands down on the railing. In that moment, Aqua thought maybe his smile was nicer than even the ocean. She wondered if it would look as bright as that man’s did, if Terra had a little girl to swing into his arms too. Aqua could almost see him much older than now, tall and strong and holding a cooing child over his head, small hands reaching out to him. Maybe she’d have vibrant blue eyes like his, and maybe she’d have blue hair._

_Aqua forced herself out of her mental image with a cringe so hard she couldn’t help but curl her body slightly around the railing, hiding her face that she could feel was burning up from Terra. Oh gods. She couldn’t believe she just thought that. It was more embarrassing than she even knew how to comprehend. If he ever knew…_

_“Hey, you got sun burn already?” Terra said, reaching a hand out to her chin to tilt her face over to him._

_“No!” she exclaimed far louder than she needed to, but her heart was still racing in her chest, pounding in her ears. “I’m fine.”_

_He arched an eyebrow. “You don’t look fine.”_

_“I am.”_

_Terra didn’t look like he bought it at all but he shrugged, looking back out over the area._

_Aqua placed her chin on the railing and closed her eyes, letting the salty air blow over her face. Sometimes she wished she could just stop feeling the way she did about him. She wished it would just go away._

* * *

“Please behave yourselves!” Aqua called after the retreating backs of her students. It didn’t look like any of them were paying attention any more, not after being let loose to do as they pleased in the town.

At least Sora turned around to give her a thumbs up before Lea grabbed the back of his collar, dragging him off with the rest of them. When even Ven was out of sight she sighed, feeling a mixture of pride and dread.

“You worry too much.”

“I do not worry too much,” she said, glancing over at Terra who was leaning against nearby railing.

“They all did plenty fine before they ever knew you, I’m pretty sure they’ll be perfectly okay in a contained town for the day.”

He was probably right, and yeah, sure, maybe she worried too much. She was pretty sure if she vocalized that, Terra would reaffirm there was no maybe about it. They were all much older than she and Terra were when they were given more freedoms in regards to training and she had seen them all triumph in ways that shouldn’t even be possible. They had barely been living in the castle for half a year and yet she still felt a desire to protect them all, to make sure they always were smiling and happy.

“I guess,” she relented.

Terra rolled his eyes as he straightened his back. “They’re fine. We were always fine, weren’t we?”

He had a point. “Mostly.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

She still knew he was right but she crossed her arms against her chest anyways. “And why aren’t you worrying more? You’re just as responsible now.” She paused for a second looking over to him. “Master Terra.”

After all this time, it did feel very nice to finally be able to call him with the title she always knew he deserved. He passed the exam with no problems what so ever, just like she said he would and she had no problem reminding him of that.

He tilted his head up towards her, a sly sort of smile on his lips. He reached his hands out to place them on her shoulders, leaning in so his chest was against her back, his lips close to her ear. “Oh, please, keep calling me that.”

“Oh, knock it off,” she breathed, though it was a little hard to ignore the shivers on her spine with his warm breath so close to her neck. Aqua did manage to elbow him in the gut though it admittedly wasn’t too hard.

“Relax,” he chuckled, pressing his hands down on her shoulders. “They’re not babies, they’re teenagers. C’mon, I’m not letting you stand here all day and wait for them to come back.” He dropped his hands from her shoulders, just to grab her hand instead.

Aqua started to follow after the last place she saw the kids go, it was a fairly big world after all, chances are they wouldn’t run into them.

“The opposite direction, Aqua,” Terra said, though he sounded more amused then mad as he tugged at her hand.

He was probably right, she was being ridiculous. She followed after where he led, down some other streets to another open area of the town, some sort of performance center in the middle of the large clearing. She heard the waves of the ocean crashing against the side of the cliffs even from she was.  They weren’t her children, they were her students; even Ven more like a brother than anything. Once they passed their exams they’d move on, she was there to teach them and help them grow. It was never to be permanent.

Terra walked over to the edge of the area, dropping her hand to lean over the railing overlooking the vast ocean. He seemed content enough so she leaned her back up against the railing near where he was standing, eyes looking out over the people walking through.

She didn’t know why, considering she didn’t even know some of the kids all that long but the thought made her want to cry. Even Ven would be able to be a master himself soon. He wasn’t that small scared child who came to them so long ago.

“Hey, what’s the matter?” Terra asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” she waved him off, though she really felt ridiculous now that she couldn’t even mask her feelings from him.

“Liar.”

When she looked over to him, he was watching her with those deep eyes of his, like he could see right through her. She didn’t have it in her heart to lie to him.

“Ven’s gonna be a master soon too.” Hearing the word’s aloud like that made her feel like she was going to exclaim in joy for him or start to actually cry.

“Yeah, he is,” Terra said, clearly not quite following.

“So will the other kids.”

“Yeah, that’s very true.”

“I don’t want them to.”

He laughed, he actually laughed and she was about ready to hit him. “Yes, you absolutely do. You want them to move on and be the best people they can be. That’s why you agreed to teach them even though we had barely had the world back together. That’s why you’ll accept the next group of students that may come our way, and the next, and so on. That’s who you are.”

Terra was unsurprisingly right. She didn’t actually want them to stay because that would mean they wouldn’t be able to live their lives to the fullest potential she knew each one of them had. “Then why does it feel so bad?”

He had this knowing smile on his face. “You’ve always been a very maternal person, Aqua. You always took care of me even though I was older than you. You took care of Ven when he had no one else in the world. You took care of these kids to help them reach the next part of their lives. It is what makes you a good teacher, because you genuinely care about them and raising them to be good people. But that also mean you have to watch them leave your care, and yeah, sometimes that may be sad, it’s for a good reason. Hell, I don’t even know how I’ll feel watching them move on, especially Ven. He’ll probably stick around with us, but even then he’s not a child anymore.”

It was against her will, but she felt her face heat up at his choice of words. Maternal, he said, like a mother. Aqua looked away, towards the ocean and the cool breeze blowing over her. He wasn’t really saying anything she didn’t already know about herself but there was something about Terra calling her motherly that made her both want to hide her face in embarrassment and also feel a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. She wasn’t sure why her emotions seemed to be all over the place today but it was hard to feel any way than how she was feeling.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” she said.

“Probably?” he snorted and that time he did get hit on the chest.

He didn’t say anything else and neither did she. Aqua took to looking around the plaza again, watching the people as they came and went, some hurried like they had something to attend to and others more leisurely wandering. There were individuals, there were couples, there were groups, and there were families. Children chasing the birds in the center of the area, teenagers looking over the edge of the railing, babies cooing as their parents entertained them.

It was a carefully guarded secret of Aqua’s, one she held very close to her heart and never let anyone else have. She had a feeling Master Eraqus might’ve known but no one else, not Ven and especially not Terra.

She very well knew keyblade wielders didn’t live conventional lives. They were protectors, they were peace keepers. They had a job that required travel and careful negotiations; it required battle and the ever lingering danger of Darkness. A lot of the masters she had known in her life weren’t married and didn’t have families; there were a few exceptions of course but not many. She knew from a very young age, it would probably never happen but she could never quite let it go.

Aqua never wanted to give up the life she loved so much but as she watched a small child run into the arms of his father, she couldn’t deny that part of her who always wanted that too. She never dared tell anyone she wanted the house, the husband, the children knowing the answer would be doubt that it would be the best thing for anyone. She understood, she did; she saw what the people she loved, what she went through. Their lives would always be hard. It was safe right now sure, but peace was never a guarantee.

She looked back over at Terra who was still watching the water. She couldn’t quite tell if he had anything on his mind or if he was just enjoying the break. The wind blew his hair around slightly. It was longer than it even used to be, so much so that he was starting to pull it back. It reminded her so much of their master that Terra had to have known it too. Maybe it was his way of paying tribute to the man who trained them, and really the only father the two of them ever knew.

Aqua wondered if Terra ever noticed how much he took after Master Eraqus, not just as a person but as a teacher too. Terra was always patient when he needed to be and strict when he needed to be. He encouraged them but let them learn on their own and never accepted “I can’t do it” as an answer. He took care of Ven and those kids just as much as she ever did.

Though she’d still never admit it, she barely did to herself let alone to him, sometimes watching Terra interact with them she couldn’t help but imagine how he’d be with his own children. The thought used to make her almost cringe from embarrassment knowing the look he’d probably give her if he ever found out. Now it made her face flush with a mix of embarrassment and a strange sort of pleasure knowing that at the current time if he ever chose to have children, it would be with her.

Aqua knew she shouldn’t because the likeliness for her small little dream world to happen was rather slim but she couldn’t help but see it so easily. Sometimes she could see it as herself playing with Master Eraqus before Terra even came to live with them, smiling and laughing over a game she made up, Master Eraqus playing along effortlessly. Sometimes it was Terra with a little girl who looked like him, playing with just as much enthusiasm and joy, making the child feel just like Aqua did when she looked up at their master.

It was a silly thought maybe, but it made her smile.  

Terra glanced over; an amused sort of smile on his face that nearly made Aqua jump, some silly notion in her head that he could actually read her mind. “What?” he asked.

“What?”

“You were staring at me with that sappy face of yours.”

She felt her face heat up a little at being semi-caught. He didn’t know what it was but he knew it was something.

“Oh, you’re blushing, now I really wanna know.”

“Terra,” she started as a warning but it really lacked any force.

He dropped it easily enough, just a smile and a shake of his head. She turned around so she was facing the ocean too, leaning in to nudge her shoulder against his.

“Finally stopped worrying then?” he asked, eyes glancing over at him.

The answer was probably no but she didn’t know if there would be a day she wouldn’t worry about Ven and her very first students. “They’re gonna be okay.”

“Yeah, course they will,” he said, no ounce of doubt in his voice.

Aqua leaned her head over against his shoulder causing him to lean down to nudge his head on hers. She really was happy just how her life was, but maybe one day she’d be able to share the one thing she never shared with anyone before with him.

 

 


	10. Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Terra/Aqua (gotta end it with the brot3 too ;-;)  
> Words: 3375  
> Rating: K+

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW low key got really emotional writing the end of this. Thank you guys so much for reading and being so encouraging to me. I was terrified to start writing for a new fandom but you all have been nothing but so nice! I really loved writing these stories and giving these sweet children a happy ending (hopefully canon does the same haha). They deserve all the happiness ;-; I just really loved writing this story, thank you so much for all the kind words you’ve given me <3
> 
> That being said, while this story does have a hard end I’m not ready to say goodbye to writing them cause omg I love it so much haha So I do have a few more plans for this year including two 3 chapter fics (a modern au one and canon one which is actually the first thing I ever wrote for KH but I was too scared to post it lmao), a one shot collection to dump random drabbles, and maybe a modern au set too. So yeah, I hope you enjoy this last one from the sweet sunshine boy’s perspective <3

_Ven woke up so suddenly he nearly fell out of his bed. His heart was pounding in his chest, he felt too hot for blankets but too cold to kick them off, stomach reeling in such a way he had to swallow hard. The worst of it was when he looked around the room it seemed like every shadow was alive. He shut his eyes, unsure if his mind was playing tricks on him or if the room really was spinning._

_He opened them again and this time while everything stayed in place, it didn’t help him feel any better. Ven tried to sit up in bed but he found the cool air on his body sent chills through him despite feeling like he was sweating. He reached his hands up to rub his face. He knew he should probably just go back to bed and try to sleep it off but a part of him knew he couldn’t sleep like this._

_Was he sick or was it just a really bad nightmare he couldn’t remember? The latter wouldn’t really surprise him but he usually woke up scared, not feeling like he was gonna throw up. Maybe water would help but that would also require him to walk all the way to the kitchen._

_The thought made him feel a little sicker but it was either stay here and potentially feel worse or find some kinda solution. He pulled himself out of bed and headed to his door which he happened to leave open that night. The hallway felt cool but he couldn’t tell if that was the way it really was or if it was just him feeling gross._

_Ven reached a hand up to his head as he walked. It still wasn’t hurting too much but he did feel a little dizzy again. He reached his other hand out to the wall, trying to steady himself. Both Aqua and Terra’s rooms where nearby and Ven thought about maybe going to one of them instead but their doors were closed. He knew neither would care but Ven didn’t wanna bother them either, not when they had the exam coming up._

_He kept walking down the hallway, though a bit slowly, till he reached the stairs that would take him down to the kitchen. Maybe he could find some crackers or something to help. Ven grimaced at the thought; his stomach started to turn. Okay, maybe just the water._

_He placed his hand on the railing to start to head down but something caught his attention. There was laughter coming from the other end of the hall._

_He furrowed his forehead at the sound. As far as he knew there weren’t any guests and Terra and Aqua were in their rooms. Ven let go of the railing and started to follow where he thought he heard the noise. He felt a little dizzy as he walked but curiosity momentarily helped him ignore how he was feeling._

_There wasn’t too much down this particular hallway, just a few guest rooms. Ven was about to think he was just hearing things when he saw light peeking through a doorway. There was a deeper voice talking but it was so low Ven couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. For a moment he thought may be it was just Master Eraqus, which meant Ven really should just walk away and go to get his drink of water but the curiosity was too strong._

_As carefully as he could, he turned the doorknob and cracked open the door enough so he could peek in._

_Despite the fact placement was unusual, the sight was rather usual. Ven honestly shouldn’t have been surprised Terra and Aqua made it look like they were asleep but really weren’t in the least. Why a random guest room Ven wasn’t quite sure, maybe just to throw their Master off their trail should he realize they were up after curfew._

_They weren’t really doing much; Terra was sitting up against the backboard of the bed, eyes looking up at the ceiling as he recited something to Aqua. She was laying down on her stomach facing him but had a book in her hands. He paused in what he was saying causing Aqua to hit him in the arm even though she wasn’t looking up at him. Terra rolled his eyes and said something though Ven’s mind wasn’t processing just what at the current moment._

_It was odd almost, a strange sort of unease slipped into Ven’s mind, reminding him of his stomachache. It was like he was nervous, like he shouldn’t be there even though he very well knew they probably wouldn’t have cared. Ven honestly didn’t know how to explain it but watching them when they didn’t know anyone else was around was vastly different than just the way they usually hung out._

_Ven carefully closed the door but he apparently wasn’t careful enough._

_“Hello?” Aqua said, her voice clear in the otherwise quiet hall._

_He contemplated leaving, pretending like he was never there. There would be no harm in it._

_“Ven?” That time it was Terra, and Ven supposed there was no use in hiding now. One of them would probably come to the hall before he could get far enough away._

_He pushed open the door, standing in the entrance to the room and feeling a little awkward despite the previous intimate atmosphere of the room pretty much dissolving when he stepped in. He reached a hand behind his head, and tried to smile but he was only reminded how sick he actually felt. “Sorry,” he murmured, his voice coming out more choked than he expected. “I heard your voices.”_

_“It’s fine,” Terra said, though he was sitting up a little straighter than he had been moments ago. “Couldn’t sleep?”_

_Aqua seemed to notice something was wrong right away as she was already sitting up and halfway off the bed; not that Ven was terribly surprised. “You look pale, is something wrong?”_

_He wanted to play it off, he didn’t need to be babied after all; then he could leave them alone, could just get his water and go back to bed. His head started to spin a little again, his stomach turning as it did. Ven closed his eyes to make it go away but it didn’t seem to help at all. “I don’t feel good,” he said, though he honestly had no idea if it came out coherent or not._

_It must’ve because there was a cool touch on his forehead. When he opened his eyes, Aqua was crouched down in front of him, the palm of her hand against his face. She looked a little concerned but it was comforting in a way._

_“You’re burning up, Ven,” she said._

_No, that couldn’t be right. “I’m freezing.”_

_“Is it a fever?” Terra asked, still sitting on the edge of the bed but watching them attentively._

_Aqua dropped her hand to Ven’s cheek. “Sure seems that way.”_

_He was vaguely aware of what that meant and he knew he should probably leave, the last thing he wanted to do was make them sick too. “I should go,” he said but he honestly could barely recognize the words falling from his lips. The room started to spin again and as a reflex he reached out to her shoulders to be able to steady himself. “I’ll be okay.”_

_“Maybe so, but why don’t you come warm up under the blankets for a little bit?”_

_Ven nodded, it did sound nice._

_“Okay, c’mon then.” She placed her hand on his shoulder and carefully led him along side of the bed._

_He honestly didn’t even really remember getting into the bed, he was just suddenly surrounded by warm blankets and a soft pillow under his head. The chills at least stopped but his stomach and head still felt dizzy. It was kinda weird to describe his stomach as dizzy but that’s what it felt like._

_“Do you want us to stay with you?” Aqua asked, reaching a hand over to brush some of his hair from his face as she sat down near him._

_Ven felt Terra lean over the other side of the bed, probably waiting for an answer as well. Ven knew he should say no, to not keep them up with him, to go back to his own bed and just sleep it off but he was so warm, and as dumb as it seemed, having them there looking over him just made him feel better._

_“Yes,” he said._

_With no word of disagreement Terra flopped down on the bed, laying down on his back while Aqua moved to lay on her side; both effectively sandwiching Ven in the center of the bed._

_“Try and sleep,” Terra said, his voice low, it was more soothing than Ven would’ve thought. “I’ll take you back to your room if it gets too late.”_

_His eyelids were getting heavy, almost impossible to keep them open. He found his head hurt less when they were closed anyways. Ven wasn’t sure if he’d actually fall asleep or just rest, even though he was really comfortable and it was nice and warm between the blankets and Terra and Aqua. A yawn pulled at Ven’s lips as Aqua hummed some sort of melody. He wasn’t really sure if he had ever heard it before, though it sounded distantly familiar. Ven couldn’t even dwell on it, he was asleep in moments._

_He didn’t even really know how much he fell asleep until he opened his eyes and it was dark. He panicked for a moment completely forgetting where he was but when he tried to sit up he found he couldn’t, the blankets were pinned at his sides._

_Ven blinked in the darkness. Terra was still on the side of the bed though he was on his stomach now, arms tucked under his pillow as he slept. Aqua was still curled up on Ven’s other side, sound asleep too. A smile pulled at his lips as he settled back down into his spot in the center. One of them must’ve flipped the lights off when the other fell asleep._

_He sighed and closed his eyes again. He didn’t really even have a chance to question if he was feeling better, all he knew was he was safe._

* * *

Ven breathed in a deep breath of warm air as he stepped outside. The sun was already starting to set but it didn’t change the temperature at all. Summer was on its way back and he couldn’t be happier about it. He stepped down on the stone path, barefoot as he decided not to hunt for his shoes before coming outside.

He glanced over the green grass near the front of the castle but he didn’t see anyone. He could try the lake he supposed. It wasn’t that far of a walk anyways.

Normally he’d leave Terra and Aqua alone after dinner knowing they had to spend mostly all day with him and the others. As much as he was used to having so many others near his age to hang out with now, sometimes he missed it when it was just the three of them. So he went out to find them, wherever they were.

They usually didn’t go too far just in case, so Ven kept peaking around the area trying to find at least Aqua whose hair stood out more than Terra’s. Sure enough, they were by the lake. Ven saw Aqua first, sitting sideways against a bank of the water, her legs kicked over Terra’s lap who had his feet dangling into the lake.

Ven was too far away to even remotely hear what they were talking about but Aqua was chatting away at something, Terra listening attentively. There was just something about the two of them when they were alone that was different. Ven kinda recognized it when he was younger but he could never place what it might be. It was pretty obvious what it was now.

He almost changed his mind and turned back around. There was never anything that wasn’t inviting about them really. He still often had to remind himself to knock first just because he knew them so well. He knew if he walked over there they’d let him join with no second thought, it was more out of his consideration than anything else.

He understood, he did. The castle was big sure but it probably never seemed big enough when you had a bunch of other people always bothering you for something. Neither Aqua nor Terra would probably ever complain so it was up to Ven to make sure no one bothered them whenever he could, himself included.

He moved to turn back around but his name being called out across the lake stopped him. When he turned around Terra still had his hands cupped around his mouth and Aqua was waving her hand over her head to get his attention.

Despite himself, a smile pulled at his lips. It was exactly what he meant but he also couldn’t deny it made him feel good to still always be accepted by his oldest friends. He made his way over to where they were sitting, knowing if he tried to keep walking away now that they saw him one or the other would chase him down till him came back. Usually that involved getting tackled to the ground or getting put in a strong headlock so he decided to save himself the trouble.

“Hey,” Aqua said, leaning slightly back on her hands so she could look up at him. “What’s up, Ven?”

“Wow.” He let out a low whistle. “You must really be happy if you didn’t even ask me if something was wrong first.”

Terra snorted, his hands resting on her legs. “We can see the castle from here if something should explode or such.”

“C’mon, sit down,” Aqua said.

Ven almost tried to back out again, just to be respectful but there was also the part of him that did just wanna spend time with them. He sat himself down next to her, suddenly thankful he couldn’t find shoes as his feet dipped right into the water. It was still kinda cold as spring was still lingering but it was nice enough for now.

“Soon we’ll get to go swimming again,” he said, kicking his feet lightly to get the water to ripple.

Aqua made a noise of slight disgust. “I’m pretty sure something lives in the deeper end of this lake. I’ve never liked swimming in it.”

Terra tapped at her leg. “No, that’s just because I happened to get a leech on my foot one time and you thought it was so gross you never wanted to go back in.”

“Well, can you blame me?”

“C’mon,” Ven said, nudging Aqua’s back with his shoulder. “It’s fine, if you don’t let your feet touch the ground.”

“Or the sides,” Terra added. “You know, where all the plants are growing underwater.”

“Probably the deep end too, I can’t say _nothing_ is living in there.”

“Yeah, okay,” she laughed. “You boys can have fun in a few months then. Take the rest of the kids, try not to let them get eaten.”

“Aqua, have you always been this dramatic?” Ven asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

She opened her mouth to answer but Terra beat her to it.

“Yes.”

Aqua looked like she wasn’t sure which one of them to hit first but it only made Ven laugh. That seemed to be good enough for her.

They settled into silence, but the good kind. The warm weather coming back, the nice breeze blowing off the lake, the sun setting, sitting at the side of the lake with his closest friends it all suddenly made him realize.

It had been almost one year since they came back here.

When they came back to this world it was in shambles, just like their lives were. They all were broken to an extent, recovering from both victory and failures. After those first few nights in the dark, cold, and so empty castle they used to call home, Ven didn’t know if things would ever be able to go back to the way they were.

Really, they didn’t.

As he watched the sun setting over the lake in front of them, the green of the grass under his fingers, the water rippling against his feet, Ventus knew without a doubt things were better now than even before. He could feel the warmth of Aqua’s back against his shoulder, hear the soft hum from Terra as he looked over the lake.

They were all together again. While they were missing one, Ven thought Master Eraqus would’ve liked to see the castle full of kids eager to learn. Sometimes Ven could almost see his master, that knowing smile on his face proud as he watched over Terra and Aqua teach others, watched them smile again and be happy together; then watching over Ven as he took steps closer every day to take his own master’s exam. He could almost hear Eraqus’ rough but always calm voice say, “Well done, little ones, well done.”

Ven closed his eyes, letting the warm breeze blow over his face. It wasn’t perfect. Terra still let his temper get the best of him sometimes, Aqua still didn’t know how to stop bottling her feelings up, and Ven still didn’t know if he was worth all the trouble that went into protecting him. Yet, they were here. They were together, they were home.

But he knew things were changing again.

Ven and Sora were next to take their exams, Lea and Kairi not too far behind. Soon there would be a whole new group of kids ready to train here and Ven would have to decide just what he wanted to do. They always said they’d travel together, see the worlds, and while he knew if asked Terra and Aqua would absolutely go with him but it was different now. Whether Terra or Aqua officially said it or not, they were rooted here now; they were the leaders, the teachers. Ven knew they’d both stay here and they’d both take care of their home and every student who passed through. He could easily see them older than they were now, matching rings on their fingers, their own children playing with the students who’d come to learn under great masters.

Ven blinked open his eyes, the sun almost completely behind the trees now. It was so much like that night so long ago, just on the brink of change for them all. Unlike that night where they thought they knew how it would go, Ven had no idea what a new day would bring but he knew no matter what it was, none of it was bad. Not this time.

“Hey,” he said, though his voice came out a little choked. He didn’t have to look to know both had turned their heads to him. Ven rolled his head onto Aqua’s shoulder, his body leaning into her back. He was nearly taller than her now but there was a special sort of comfort with being so close to her, like he was still a child reaching to the both of them when he was plagued with nightmares. “We’ll always be together, right?”

“Absolutely,” Aqua said, her usual mix of unwavering determination and calming comfort. “We’ve made it this far, haven’t we?”

Terra didn’t say anything but when Ven closed his eyes again he felt Terra’s arm reach around Aqua, a gentle but strong hand on Ven’s head.

A smile pulled at Ven’s lips. “Yeah, we have.”

An unbreakable connection Aqua had said on that night so long ago and even through deceitful outside forces, sacrifices, and darkness all around they still proved her right in the end. Ven let out a content sigh and Aqua hummed something soft while Terra’s fingers carefully brushed around Ven’s hair but none of them moved.

Even as the sun set in front of them, moon and stars coming up into the night sky Ven never felt cold.

 


End file.
